Side by Side
by Kisaramix
Summary: When the police catch Yang for beating up a guy in an alley, she almost gets sent to jail. Luckily for her, she gets a second chance when the Belladonna family offers to take her in hopes of change. However, Yang doesn't want change, and Blake doesn't either. Will these two completely different girls ever learn to get along? Bumbleby, slow burn.
1. Screw the world

**Side by Side**

 _Rated M for some mature language, sensitive topics, mild suggestive themes, and mentions of implied abuse._

* * *

Yang breathed heavily and relaxed her fists as she stood before the motionless lump before her. Yang's hands were bloody and bruised, and her hair was mussed and frizzy. The dark hoodie she wore was torn at the sleeves, which showed off her powerful muscles that she had earned after dozens of fights. Such as the one that had just ended.

She pulled her hood back and shoved her hands in her pockets, but she only left when she spat on the loser she had just beaten. Yang took a shortcut through an alley to leave the scene, and she followed a series of twists and turns that she had gotten familiar with after nights like these. The air was cold and dry, and she paid little attention to the passing cars and homeless bums she walked past. Her head hurt; she pressed a hand to her temple and felt the tender bruise that was forming. That would hurt in the morning.

Whoop whoop. Weeeeooooeeeeeeoooo.

Yang began to curse under her breath when she heard the distinct sound of sirens pierce the cool October air of the city.

"Damn little fuck was still conscious," she muttered. Angry because she didn't finish the job properly, she quickened her pace from a walk to a jog, and then a full out run when the red and blue lights began to flash at the corners of her vision. She gasped until her sides began to ache, and she could've sworn that the pit of her throat tasted like blood, and she tried her best to stumble her way back to where she lived. But Yang was too tired to keep up at this pace for anything more than two minute increments, and the blows that she had taken had started to affect her. The dry air did little to help her breathing as she panted towards the stolen dump of an apartment she called home. But as her vision turned black, she could feel herself fall onto the cold, hard concrete, and the rough edges that scraped her skin as her head connected with the ground.

The murmuring of the police officers' conversations was the last thing she heard, and 'screw the world' was the last thing she had thought before she gave in to the tempting darkness.

* * *

When Yang came to, she was in a holding cell. The only reason why she knew she was in a holding cell was because she had already been in one several times. The blonde groaned as she lifted her head from the flat pillow someone had provided her, and she sat up. She held her fingers to the temples of her head and lightly them to get rid of the pounding sensation she had woken up to.

Someone had taken her hoodie off and had given her a new one. It was a light gray one that said "Boys' Rec Soccer League 2008" and had been worn quite well. Yang combed through her golden locks to untangle them, and she noticed that a bottle of water had been set aside near her seat. She picked it up and twisted it open with ease, and Yang poured a bit of water on her hands and spread it over her face to freshen up and hopefully get rid of this headache. Memories of last night's brawl flooded her mind, and she could easily picture the broken nose and black eyes that she had bestowed upon that guy. She felt her face with her hands and winced when she pressed too hard over her cheek bone. She had a bruise there. He went down with a fight. That was certain.

Yang heard someone open a door, and soon an officer appeared at the entrance of her cell. He was a dark haired man with a chiseled jaw and a military-like posture. He looked sternly down upon Yang, and Yang stared back defiantly. Her eyes were practically red. She was ready for another fight. This stupid police guy wouldn't beat her.

He unlocked the door of her cell and calmly strode in. He didn't bother to shut the door behind him, and Yang briefly contemplated the thought of breezing by him to escape. She knew that he would most likely catch her before she even took two steps, but it didn't stop her from trying.

"Oof," she wheezed as she was hurled back against the wall. The wind was knocked out of her, and the policeman shook his head in disappointment.

"Well I'll be damned, Miss Yang Xiao Long. When Officer Schnee told me that she had a teenager in the back, you were the first person I thought who would be in there."

"Fuck off, chief," Yang barked, clearly embarrassed that her escape plan, as unrealistic as it was, had failed. The police chief merely gave Yang a look before he continued on.

"Did you run from your new family again?"

"Did you honestly think I'd give a shit about my "new family" that you oh so kindly recommended to the foster system, Ironwood?" Yang shot back, making tiny air quotations when she said 'new family.' She tossed her hair and huffed as she crossed her arms and looked to the side, a bitter expression on her face. "Horny older brother of mine wanted to screw me. Had me cornered in his bedroom and took out his damn penis from his pants. So I slugged him across the room and made sure he was taught a lesson, and I went back to the old apartment."

Chief Ironwood wasn't ruffled by this or by Yang's sailor mouth. He was quite used to dealing with the troubled teen, and with each interaction he found out a little more about her. Yang's parents had split up which left Yang in her father's care, and later she had a stepmother, and eventually a younger half-sister named Ruby. Her parents then had died in a car crash, and with their only close relative being an alcoholic who worked odd jobs and lived in his car, the two half-sisters were put up for adoption. Unfortunately, Ruby had been adopted without Yang, and Yang was put into the foster care system. Ever since she had been separated from Ruby, Yang was always in some sort of trouble, and that often landed Yang here. In this same holding cell that caged her flaming heart.

The chief did his best not to meddle too much into private affairs, but he could see that Yang was different from any other hoodlum in the street. She had a certain fire about her that never seemed to dim, and she could charm people, which easily led her to having connections with all sorts of people on the street. Yang was a girl who could take care of herself. If only she would allow herself to, however.

Chief Ironwood sat on the hard bench and grasped his hands together as he looked at the teenage delinquent. She'd already gotten in so much trouble, and she was nearly an adult. Which reminded him of something.

"You could be tried as an adult at this point, Yang," he murmured into his hands. "I don't want to see that happen to you." Yang scoffed.

"You just don't want to see my face anymore. Your little threat doesn't scare me."

"I'm serious, Yang. Along with your current record and the way you're headed now in life, it seems that you'll be behind bars. I hate to see that sort of thing happen to a kid."

"There… is an alternative path for you to take, however," he continued, slowly bringing up an option that he thought may work for the blonde girl.

"Community service?"

"No," the chief said, "a change in environment. There is a host family system that I could get you into, and you can heal in a different setting. Most likely you would be sent to the countryside in the South." Yang gave the chief a crazed look.

"You mean I'll be living with damn rednecks and hillbillies? Um, no fuckin' way I will." Time to bring out the big guns.

"The man you assaulted has decided to press charges against you. It's either you go through with this program or face going through court as an adult. And believe me, it's harder to get away with something when you're tried as an adult. I'd think about this opportunity before I make any hasty decisions." He left those words in the air and exited the room to let them sink into the brawler's head. Hopefully she was only misguided and not stupid.

Even after Ironwood left, Yang still found herself staring after the man. And she began to think.

Living with a bunch of bucktoothed farmers and pigs? Hell no.

Facing charges as an adult? Even Yang knew enough to know that was worse than playing with some chickens.

Maybe she could teach a goat how to shove its horns up Ironwood's ass after she finished this 'healing program.'

Maybe. It sounded good to her.

And just maybe she could run off again and try to find Ruby. Yeah, that would work.

This could be a good opportunity to break free from this shithole of a city.

* * *

Blake closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, the fresh air of the trees and the wind soothing her instantly. She placed her hands on the railing of the porch and stood still for several minutes as she enjoyed the silence. It was an early morning for the town of Menagerie, and the sun hadn't quite peeked out from the horizon yet, as it was late fall. Blake could hear the rustling of the leaves as they fell from trees, and she could feel her bangs tickle her ears as a breeze made them shift. It was a peaceful and healing effect. This was her home.

Blake opened her eyes, and giving the view one more glance, she retreated back into her house to get ready for school.

Her room's walls were the same color as the day she had been brought into this house. They were painted a lovely lilac that, as it happened, turned out to be her favorite color. She had a window on the west side of her room, and sheer white curtains were hung above it and tied back neatly to allow any light in her room in the evening. As for her bed, she had recently chosen a new, warm bedspread with a violet, white, and black circle pattern to sleep with. It was cozy, and it would keep her warm when winter arrived. A rug was placed in front of the bed, and across was a vanity that Blake used to store bobby pins, hair ties, brushes and her make up. It had a large ornate mirror with chipped gold paint, and it had quite a few drawers. She had gotten it at a yard sale some time ago and planned to refurnish it to match the theme of her room.

Blake went to her closet and opened it, scanning her eyes for a new outfit of the day. She finally settled on an oversized red flannel shirt that she loved, a pair of dark jeans with a few stylish rips on the thighs and knees, and a pair of her favorite black Converse that her mother had told her to throw away.

She changed over quickly, and she made her way to her vanity and began to apply mascara, eyeliner, and lavender eye shadow, a tube of strawberry lip balm finishing the job. She left her hair alone and only used a few bobby pins to tuck a few loose strands behind her ear. Satisfied with her appearance, Blake grabbed her bookbag and slung it over her shoulder to go to the kitchen.

Her mother was still getting ready for the morning, and her father had already left to go to work earlier.

"Good morning, Mom." Her mother, Kali, was in front of the refrigerator and was thinking about what to make for breakfast, and so she didn't answer her daughter. Blake tried again.

"Mom, good morning." This time Kali heard her, and the older woman raised her head and greeted her daughter back.

"Morning, Blake. What do you want for breakfast today? It'll have to be something fast, because I'm running a little bit late today. Eggs?" Blake shook her head and reached to grab an apple on the counter.

"I'm fine. Go to work. I still have a lot of time before I have to go to school anyways." Her mother gave her daughter a relieved look, and she rushed off to fetch her purse and keys.

"Will you feed the cat?" Kali shouted from her room.

"I will!" Blake shouted back, and she went to the pantry to find Neon's bowl and fill it with cat food. Blake shook the bowl gently to make noise, and she called for the cat to come to the kitchen. Soon, a russet-furred cat with a long tail emerged from the doorway and padded over to Blake. Blake set down the bowl and crouched down to rub Neon's head affectionately, a purr rising deep from the throat of the cat.

"Who's a good kitty?" Blake asked the feline. Neon looked up at her with viridian green eyes and promptly went back to eating. Blake sighed and stood up, and she washed her hands and her apple.

Blake sat down at the table and slowly took a bite out of the crunchy fruit, and she mindlessly watched the sun rise from the kitchen window. There were a few clouds outside, but the red morning sun seemed to paint them with deep pink and orange colors. It was quite beautiful, in all honesty.

"Alright, I'm off to work. Have a nice day, sweetie!" her mom said as she headed out the door. Blake smiled and waved, her mouth full of apple, and soon she was alone in the house with only Neon for company.

Little did she know that her peaceful mornings would be interrupted within the next few hours.

* * *

"Do you need anything?"

"Fuck off."

"You need a new attitude."

"You need a new comeback." Yang scowled and slouched into her seat as the chief sipped on a cup of alcohol. The tall man raised his eyebrow and downed the rest of his cup, setting the glass down on the small tray before him.

"Miss Xiao Long, please make yourself decent before meeting your host family. I imagine that they wouldn't take too kindly to having a delinquent on such short notice who wouldn't want change." Well, it wasn't like she wanted change in the first place. She was fine as she was, and she was proud of the person she became. She just needed to find Ruby.

Yang decided to keep quiet for now, and she looked out the window and observed the tiny ponds, woods, and fields they flew over. There was a lot of green, and there were splashes of brown here and there from the deciduous oaks and harvested fields. _Booooring_.

"I think you'll find North Carolina to be a refreshing start for you. I hear that there are several events you can attend, such as the farmers' markets, music festivals, the many conventions held in its capital, and such things like that."

"Where am I even going to live?" Yang murmured, her lilac eyes not moving from the window.

"An hour away from Raleigh, in a town called Menagerie. It has a population of about 3,000 persons, if I remember correctly from the description." Chief Ironwood paused, then decided to try to make conversation with this girl.

"Your host family has another girl your age," he said. Yang offered a grunt in response, and the chief tried again.

"Your high school is a bit smaller than you're used to. It has about 460 students."

"Per grade?"

"In total." Yang did the math in her head and found that her class was approximately 115 students. This meant that everyone knew each other, and they probably attended the same elementary and middle schools.

Too bad these suckers wouldn't get to know her.

* * *

When Blake returned home after a day of school, her mom greeted her with a strange smile and her favorite tuna casserole. Thinking nothing of it, Blake went into her room, only to find a hooded figure sitting on her bed. She couldn't see the person's face, but she did see the blond curls that escaped from the hood.

Blake stared at the girl for a few more seconds, and she turned around right back to the kitchen.

"Mom, there's a girl in my room."

"I know, dear."

Blake waited, and the atmosphere became more and more tense. Her mom fixed a plate of the casserole for Blake and offered it to her daughter with that same smile.

'Sheepish,' Blake realized, 'her expression is sheepish.' Then it clicked, and Blake's jaw dropped.

"Mom… you didn't…"

"I'm sorry, sweetie. But I got a call from Pyrrha's mom about a troubled girl who needed a host family, and the one she was going to live with had family member die. They were unable to take care of her, and if she didn't live with them then she would be tried as an adult in court-" Blake ran out of the room before her mom could explain further, and she flung open the back door, letting the screen door slam shut behind her. She sprinted towards where the chickens were and slowed to a stop as she let all this information sink in.

Her mom, her sweet, caring mother, had decided to take in another girl. Blake didn't know where she came from, and she didn't care why she came, but the one thing that she did care about was the word that popped into her mind with big bubble letters: SISTER.

Needless to say, Blake wasn't happy one single bit.

Meanwhile in Blake's room, Yang felt the same.


	2. This is war

Dinner was quieter than usual for the Belladonna family. Forks clashed against plates, and small bits of conversation died as soon as they were started. Blake knew that it was childish of her to not look at the girl or even speak to her, but she was highly upset at the fact that her mom had accepted the delinquent.

The delinquent. That was Blake's first impression of her. The girl wore an oversized black hoodie with the sleeves ripped off, and though she wore an equally baggy long-sleeved shirt, Blake could tell that powerful muscle was underneath. What sort of things did the delinquent do to almost get herself in jail? Did she commit arson? Steal a car? Kidnap someone? Or did she do something even worse than all of those things?

Ghira, Blake's father, coughed slightly into his fist and gestured for Blake to pass him the remote to the TV. Blake passed it to him silently, and Kali focused on her now empty plate.

Soon enough Blake couldn't take it anymore, and she pushed her chair back and stood up, causing the chair to creak unattractively against the tiled floor and the plates to rattle on the table.

"Dad, how could you let Mom do this?" Ghira wiped his mouth with a napkin and calmly answered his daughter with a very easy answer: "Because she wanted to."

Blake was not satisfied with this answer, and she glared at the hooded delinquent before pressing on.

"Don't you realize that this girl almost went to jail? Do you seriously want her to wreak havoc on our household?"

"Blake," Ghira warned his daughter, but Blake continued.

"Who knows what she did in the first place? She could have murdered someone, and you want her to live with us?!" Blake's voice rose to a shout, and Ghira slammed his fist on the table in response, standing up in the same manner as his daughter. Blake glared angrily into her father's amber eyes, so similar to her own, and Kali and the delinquent kept quiet.

"Go to your room," Ghira said slowly, his voice soft and dangerous. Blake huffed and took her dishes to the sink, making sure to clatter them against the steel sink noisily, and she stalked off to her room with furious steps.

Unbelievable! Her dad would choose to defend her mom, who was clearly in the wrong, and not only that, he sent her to her room like a little kid who needed a time-out? Blake kicked the girl's suitcase, and she took out her phone to text Nora.

 _Nora: What's up, Blake?_

 _Blake: My mom just had the stupidest idea ever. Just guess what it is._

 _Nora: Oh, is it that Yang girl Pyrrha was talking about? Yeah, I heard about it! Your mom is super nice for taking her in!_

 _Blake: You already knew!?_

 _Nora: Um, yeah? Weren't you listening to Pyrrha talk about her earlier?_

 _Blake: … Pyrrha wasn't at school today._

 _Nora: Oh, that's right. I was texting her. Hahaha._

 _Blake: What am I going to do? She can't live here!_

 _Nora: Why not? Have you tried talking to her?_

 _Blake: The girl's got MUSCLES, Nora. No way that I'm talking to her._

 _Nora: But she's going to be living with you. I'd get comfy with her._

Blake threw her phone on her bed out of frustration. She felt like screaming. She felt like punching something.

Yang… that was her name. She probably came from a big city. Maybe she came from Chicago. That's where a lot of crime was committed, right? Maybe she was in a gang. It wouldn't surprise Blake if she was.

Yang. For some reason she felt as if she had heard that name before. Perhaps it was just her imagination playing with her mind. She'd never seen that girl before in her life, and she didn't want to see her any more than she had to.

The door of her room opened, and Blake shot up from her bed, only to feel her anger return when Yang entered the room. The troubled teen shuffled in and carelessly plopped herself next to Blake, leaving plenty of space between them both. Blake couldn't believe it.

"…"

A silence grew between the two, and the atmosphere began to grow awkward now that Blake was alone with Yang. All that bravado that she had demonstrated at the kitchen table had deflated out of Blake, and now the dark haired girl felt embarrassed. She flinched when Yang reached up, but then relaxed when it turned out the blonde was only taking her hood off of her head.

Lilac. They were lilac, Yang's eyes. They were the exact shade of color that Blake loved, and they were watery with tears.

"Um…" Blake didn't know what to say. She had imagined that Yang's face would look tough, weathered, with an ugly scowl on it. She didn't expect for the delinquent to shed tears so openly in front of her.

"Don't say a word." Yang wiped her eyes with her arm, and she looked away to the side. "I don't want your pity."

Blake fidgeted helplessly as she watched the blonde collect herself together. Finally, Yang turned to face her, and Blake averted her eyes.

"Do you have a bathroom?" Yang asked. Blake blinked, taking another look at Yang, and nodded, pointing to the open doorway.

"It's right across my room. There's no hot water in the sink…" Yang walked over through the doorway and disappeared for a few minutes, reappearing only to see Blake in the same position. Yang raised an eyebrow and shrugged, slouching herself on a desk chair in Blake's room. The blonde grunted as she adjusted herself, and Blake felt the need to tell the girl to go away, but it looked as if Yang was already comfortable.

"… I'll have you know that I'm not stupid. You hate me already, so stop pretending to be meek about it. I heard what you said at the dining table." The awkward bubble was burst, and the words tumbled out of Blake's mouth before she knew it.

"What did you do to get in this much trouble?" Thankfully, Yang seemed to be amused at Blake's prying instead of enraged, like Blake had thought she would, and the blonde snickered.

"Didn't anyone tell you that curiosity killed the cat?" Blake's eyes widened, and she shrank into her bed. Was Yang telling her that she would kill her if she pried too much?

"I basically did something called aggravated assault. That means I beat the shit out of someone. Well, a lot of someones, but I only got charged for two of them. But since I did get charged and I'm almost an adult, I was about to get put in the slammer. Luckily your mom came through and rescued me." Yang sniffed the air and looked around Blake's room. "Nice place you got here. I could fit my entire apartment in these walls." Yang gave Blake a grin, and her attention was grabbed by the mew that came from the floor.

Neon padded towards the blonde and purred as she rubbed her head against the brawler's legs. Mystified, Blake watched her cat, her sulky, I'm-a-loner-don't-touch-me-unless-you're-family cat, get comfy with a stranger she had never met. Yang raised her eyes to meet Blake's, a smile dancing on her lips.

"What can I say? I have a way with pussies." Blake frowned at Yang's disgusting pun, which made the girl crack up.

"What, you didn't like it? Ah, you're no fun, you pussy!" Blake gritted her teeth, and she layed down on her bed, facing away from Yang's laughing face.

This girl was getting on her nerves. First she invaded her house, then she ate dinner at her table, and now she charmed her cat?

"By the way, it looks like we're roommates now." No way in hell.

A few minutes of pillow-tossing and scuffling later, Blake found herself on the floor with a single cushion and fleece blanket.

"Good night," Yang called from above as she turned over in Blake's bed to turn off the light. The darkness cut into Blake's vision, yet Blake was still wide awake, even after Yang had begun to softly snore.

What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened.

She lost her room, her only-child status, and her pride, all in less than five hours.

And the bitch had the nerve to take her BED.

This was war.

* * *

"Good morning, Yang. Did you sleep well?" Kali cheerfully asked as she scrambled eggs in a pan.

"I slept like a log. Blake's bed is pretty soft. Is it a Tempur-Pedic?"

"Why, yes it is! I got it for Blake's twelfth birthday because she didn't seem to appreciate her previous mattress. She was a bit of a bed-wetter, and I promised to get her a better bed if she promised not to wet the bed anymore." Blake closed her eyes and tried to pretend that all was normal. Blake spooned a few soggy flakes into her mouth and chewed on the wet cereal as she tried to ignore her stiff back. Her neck had a cramp, and she felt as if she needed to stretch her muscles out.

"Mom, she made me sleep on the floor."

"Hush now, Blake," Kali replied, shaking her head in disappointment. "Stop acting like a child. Yang most certainly didn't make you sleep on the floor. When I peeked in to check on you two, you were laying on your bed while Yang was sitting on the chair."

"That's because we weren't getting ready for bed. We were talking," Blake tried again. However, Kali simply hummed in delight and turned off the stove, setting the pan of eggs on a cool burner.

"That's nice, dearie. See, you two are already becoming good friends! Isn't that wonderful?"

'Wonderful indeed,' Blake thought dryly. 'Like the fact that you're being a typical oblivious anime mom character right now.'

Soon Kali finished getting for work and set off, and Blake grasped her car keys in her left hand and her bookbag in her right. She gave the delinquent a long stare, and Yang playfully waved a hand at her.

"Tch." Blake clicked her teeth as she turned on her heel and exited her house through her front door, letting the door close gently.

She needed a way to get rid of Yang.

Unfortunately for her, she was a good kid and had never had this sort of problem before. So she did not know how to plan malicious acts.

"I could just break a vase and say she did it." But Yang could blame Neon for that.

"Maybe crash Dad's car?" That was going too far.

"Kill some of our chickens?" But Blake liked the chickens.

Blake's frustration traveled with her all the way to school, and Ren was the first to notice.

"Rough morning with Yang?" he asked, giving Blake a sympathetic smile. Blake groaned and buried her face in her arms. "You have no idea."

"I want to meet her," Nora announced, bounding into the classroom over to Blake's desk. Pyrrha followed after the energetic girl, and then Jaune soon after. It was a ritual of sorts for Blake and her friends to gather at her desk, and today she was particularly thankful for it.

"So where is Yang now?" Pyrrha queried. Blake raised her shoulders and allowed them to slump back down.

"She's at home. I don't know what she's doing though."

"If I were her, I would sleep the rest of the day away," Jaune mused out loud.

"Sounds delightful, for a SLOTH," Nora replied to the blond, not liking the idea of wasting a day.

"Wait, are you calling me a sloth!?"

"You're so lazy, Jaune! Be more like Ren! He always wakes up with a smile on his face!"

Nora and Jaune continued to bicker, and the other two of Blake's group of friends, the level-headed ones, went to go comfort her.

"Blake, I'm sorry that your mom took her in," Pyrrha began, an apologetic expression on her face, "but couldn't you give her a chance?"

"I don't want to give her a chance."

"Blake, Pyrrha is right. It is unfortunate that your mom is too nice, but what can you do about it now? Yang is going to live with you until she changes, so I would make the most of your time together," Ren inputted. Blake gazed wearily at Ren and pointed at the skin underneath her eyes.

"These are dark circles. She made me sleep on the floor and she was snoring the whole time. She's disgusting." Ren looked over at Nora and Jaune, who were still arguing with each other, and he whispered only to let Blake and Pyrrha hear his words.

"You can do this, Blake. Pyrrha and I will be there to help you, and even Velvet can support you. We know that you're a great person and that'll rub off onto Yang. Just like how Nora was annoying for me when I met her, and how Jaune was clingy when he met Pyrrha… you can change Yang for the better."

Change Yang for the better… huh.

'I don't really want to though,' Blake thought later on in the day as she took notes for her science class. 'She may have a pretty face, but she looks like she belongs in a shady fighting club. That hoodie she wears is filthy too.'

* * *

Yang heaved over the toilet and cursed when another wave of vomit flooded her mouth. She retched and allowed the gross bile to escape her mouth, and she gasped as soon as she knew it was over. Yang slumped onto the floor and let the back of her head hit the wall, her breathing ragged. That shit was nasty, and it was still burning her throat, making it raw and painful.

The telephone rang, and Yang growled when it continued to ring. It was just her luck to get sick right before she was planning to leave.

The phone persisted for Yang to pick it up, and Yang clambered over to the kitchen to shut off the little fucker. She snatched the house phone from its holder and was about to end it until she saw where the call was coming from.

Florida.

She stared at the lit screen of the phone until it finally stopped ringing, and she put the phone back in its holder.

Then she began to curse and tug at her own hair as she berated herself for not answering.

"The fuck, Xiao Long!? That could've been her! Why the fuck would you lose the chance to see where she is!?"

Yang gave the phone a longing look before grabbing it and redialing the number. To her disappointment, it seemed that the Belladonna's house phone did not support long distance calling.

Yang hung up the phone and huffed, and realized how stupid she was for thinking that Ruby had called her.

'Imagine, the older sister she admired so much became a juvenile delinquent,' Yang thought, chuckling darkly at herself. It was funny, hilarious even, that Ruby would ever consider accepting her in this stage of her life. Yang continued to laugh until tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, and then her hearty laughs turned into wracking sobs.

"Damn it," Yang sputtered out in between each sob. "I'm a fucking waste of oxygen and space." And then she ran back to the bathroom and hurled into the toilet, her tears mixing with her breakfast and last night's dinner.

And it only took her this long to realize that she was a nobody in this world.

How hilarious.

How fucking hilarious.


	3. Hello, Sunny

'It's only a cupcake, but she better eat it. The Coffeehound's cupcakes are so expensive,' was what Blake thought as she drove home. She had taken Ren and Pyrrha's advice and stopped by the Coffeehound Bookshop, her favorite coffee place, to grab a cupcake for Yang and a green tea for herself. The Coffeehound was run by an old man who had little to say, but he had a fair-sized library in his shop for his customers to use as they drank their drinks and ate their snacks. It was Blake's favorite little nook in this town, and it was the place she least visited, all because the items at the Coffeehound were better than Starbucks, and therefore more expensive.

So the delinquent had better eat the cupcake.

But when Blake arrived at her home, she was mildly surprised and incredulous to be greeted by the sight of a sleeping Yang on their kitchen floor. Blake quietly shut the door and set the cupcake and tea to the side as she tiptoed over to the sleeping girl. The blonde's chest rose and fell softly in a slow rhythm, and her hair was unkempt and dirty.

'She's exhausted.' And in this state, Blake almost began to feel sorry for the delinquent. In the brawler's slumber, her face showed fatigue and weariness, and tear stains. Her arm was placed protectively in front of her face, and even the way that she curled up into a ball portrayed her defensiveness.

However, Blake still remembered the way that Yang had taken her bed last night, and couldn't seem to feel one hundred percent genuine sympathy. So, like what any decent person would do in this situation, she dragged Yang over to her room and left the girl to rest in there until she woke up.

'Now that that's out of the way, I can get started on chores,' Blake thought. Neon brushed past her legs, and Blake was about to pet her cat until she realized that Neon had padded over to Yang and curled up against the blonde. Blake eyed her cat, and Neon only responded with a yawn and a tail flick.

"Traitor." Blake went outside, slightly shivering as a dry gust of wind blew from the left of her side. She trotted down the steps of the back door and headed to the small shelter that housed the feed for the animals. She always fed the chickens first, and they knew it, as they had begun to cluck and follow Blake when they saw her outside. She poured two cups of chicken scratch in a bowl, went up to the fence, and flung the food over in a large semicircle motion. The chickens immediately began to squawk and peck the ground, scratching the ground with their talons and gulping down the tiny grain. Blake watched the chickens with amusement, and she heard a croon behind her. She turned around and smiled when beady black eyes gazed back at her.

"Hello, Sunny," she whispered as she reached into the bucket and scooped a handful of scratch for her favorite chicken, offering it to the black feathered bird. Sunny waddled over and waited for Blake to drop the feed, and Blake did just that. Sunny immediately went to work and bobbed her head up and down from the ground to gobble up the tasty bits. Blake admired the way that the sunlight reflected off the chicken's glossy feathers, and the way that every time Sunny bobbed her head, she could see flecks of small yellow feathers underneath black ones on her neck. Hence, the reason Blake had named her Sunny.

Blake had raised Sunny from when she was just a little chick. Her mother had disappeared (it was assumed that a fox had nabbed her) and Blake had felt sorry for the dark little chick who wandered without any brothers or sisters. So Blake had taken steps to earn Sunny's trust – mostly with the use of food as bribery – and she had succeeded. Sunny had survived, and the black feathered chicken seemed to acknowledge Blake as an equal.

Raising Sunny had taught Blake two things. One, that life was precious and should be protected at all costs (she could hardly count the number of times that she had to ward off the other hens from eating Sunny's food). And two, trust was to be earned by the amount of patience and effort put into a relationship (Blake _could_ count the number of times that Sunny had pecked her hand and it to bleed). All in all, it was a rewarding experience for Blake.

Sunny scratched the ground a few more times before venturing away to find insects, and Blake was suddenly hit with the answer to get along with Yang.

Trust. Patience. Effort.

Just like how she had befriended Sunny, she would have to try her best to find even ground with Yang.

Simply buying a cupcake for the delinquent wouldn't solve the problem. Blake would have to find out the basics of the blonde: what things she liked, disliked, and so on.

Sunny didn't like her feathers to be touched, and she enjoyed finding garter snakes and "playing" with them.

All Blake knew about Yang was her outward appearance. She didn't know anything about her at all.

Which was why she was going to use that little technique she had learned a few years ago to learn more about the girl.

'All I need to do is avoid the subject of her arrest, and I think this will be better than I thought.'

Although the thought of being with Yang in her room made her a bit queasy, she was willing to set aside her first impression of Yang to commit to a new friendship. Maybe even become a sort of older sister figure to the blonde.

Hopefully Yang would be open to the thought of change.

* * *

'I want out of this hell. Where the fuck is the aspirin?' Yang thought as she got up from the floor. Only to realize that she was in Blake's room instead of the kitchen, where she had passed out earlier. Yang looked down at the floor, and saw the same fleece blanket and pillow Blake used last night right where the blonde had just slept a minute ago. It didn't take two and two to put together the fact that Blake had actually dragged her sorry-ass to her room, and even made sure that she was somewhat comfortable before going and doing whatever the hell she was doing now.

What was with the sudden kindness?

Whenever someone had been kind to Yang in the past, it usually meant one of two things: either they wanted something from her, or they wanted her to do something for them. Yang didn't know Blake well enough to determine if she was different from those street rats she used to deal with, but she figured that most people had similar motives.

Yang wasn't a sucker anymore, and she wasn't going to let herself be duped. So she decided to keep an eye on Blake and see if she was the real deal or just another manipulator. Goodness knows how many of those Yang had to go through.

Yang walked over to the window and was faced with a drab and dreary afternoon. The grass was an ugly dead brown, and most of the trees' branches were barren or orange-leaved, save for the pine trees. Some sun peeked out from clouds, but it was cloudy for the most part.

'What a shitty view.'

Yang groaned slightly to herself when she heard the back screen door slam against the door frame, and the heavy steps that cleaned shoes on the doormat. A meow caught Yang's attention, and Yang cautiously petted Neon's head. The russet-furred cat closed her green eyes out of pleasure, and Yang straightened up when Blake entered the room, drinking a cup of something with the words 'Coffeehound Bookshop' on the cardboard sleeve. Blake sipped on the drink (probably coffee since it came from a coffee shop), never taking her eyes off of Yang. The blonde felt herself getting annoyed, and for some reason the bitch was still facing her fearlessly.

"Do I have something on my face, or do you always ogle at people when they wake up?"

"I'm observing."

Yang opened her mouth to say something, and then shut it when she realized she had no response to that. Observing? The fuck?

Blake continued this weird staring, nodded, and left the room, leaving Yang pissed off.

"The fuck?"

* * *

Yang and Blake didn't speak much for the rest of the day, or the rest of the week. For the delinquent, this was just fine. Blake had given up her bed and hit the floor, and Yang rested on a comfortable Tempur-pedic. As soon as Yang recovered from her illness, she would find a way to go to Florida. Once she got there… that would all be figured out later. But her goal right now was to break free from any restraints, get stronger and healthier, and as soon as she was ready, she would hit the road.

That reminded her, she still hadn't gotten the information from that little fucker she left in that alley…

"Yang."

The brawler pulled her hoodie over her head. Blake tried again.

"Yang."

Yang ignored the dark haired girl. She didn't need to be distracted from her planning.

Finally, Blake quit saying her name, and the blonde was left in peace.

* * *

"You've seemed to have calmed down. You're not mad anymore about Yang," Kali observed as she tied an apron around her waist. The apron read 'Don't touch my buns,' and was a gift from Blake for Mother's Day; it wasn't Blake's idea of a Mother's Day gift, but Nora had made Blake laugh when she had pointed it out at the mall.

Blake opened the tub of dry beans and poured some out on the countertop, and she began to sort through them for rocks and bad beans. They were having _chilaquiles_ tonight, which was one of the Belladonna family's favorite Mexican dishes.

"I just became aware that I shouldn't have judged her so quickly. It was my own fault that I was miserable for the first few days. Besides, I'm sure that she must have gone through many difficult things to make her turn to a life of crime." Kali smiled at her daughter with affection in her eyes, and she pulled out a packet of corn tortillas, setting it down on the counter beside Blake.

"Now, I'd call that maturity. I'm glad to have such an amazing daughter," Kali said as she nudged Blake with her shoulder. Blake nudged her mother back, and the two females began to giggle and fight playfully with each other, nudging each other almost to the point of shoving. Ghira entered the room, just having returned from work, and his eyes twinkled with delight.

"You two are in a good mood. And is that _chilaquiles_ I sense for dinner?" Ghira asked, pecking his wife on the lips and ruffling Blake's hair.

"The one and only. Can you take out the tomatoes from the fridge? And an onion from the pantry?"

"Can do," Blake's father replied as he went to retrieve the items. Blake finished cleaning the beans and put them in a pot of water, which was already bubbling away into a nice boil. She wiped her hands on her shirt and noticed a dark hooded figure disappear from the hallway as soon as she had seen it. Blake thought nothing of it at first, and then she narrowed her eyes as doubtful thoughts entered her mind.

"I'm going to go do some homework," she told her parents, who simply nodded in acknowledgment that they had heard her, and Blake marched out of the kitchen, down the hallways, into her room, to find that Yang was… doing absolutely nothing.

Well, not nothing. She was sitting in a chair while gazing out of the window with unreadable eyes. Her golden locks, frizzy yet cleaner than when she had first arrived, framed her face and covered a bit of her nose and cheek. She held the poise of a grand dragon, misunderstood yet enchanting.

But also dangerous.

Blake may have been a little easier on the delinquent, but there were a few disturbances in the household that had been passed off as simply accidents. Namely, the spilling of milk that had splashed against the floor and walls, the heavily scuffed tile of the front door's entrance, the strange ripping of newspapers with their remains near Neon's bed, and occasional opened windows that allowed the cold November air to flow in the heated house.

Blake could have been thinking too hard, but these sorts of things never happened before Yang had arrived.

But just what could Yang achieve from all of these incidents, if she were in fact the one causing them? Blake couldn't think of anything but small bouts of spite and satisfaction, but that seemed too childish for the blonde.

Then again, as much as Blake had observed Yang and tried to interact with her, she hadn't learned much, so maybe this _was_ how Yang acted.

Blake took one more look at Yang, who continued to ignore her, and she exited the room.

She kind of wished for the rude and vulgar Yang that she had met that first night. That Yang was much better than the mostly mute one that brooded in Blake's room and stared out the window.

* * *

The day that she had waited for had finally arrived. She could feel it in her bones that very morning. She had woken up, and no part of her hurt or was bruised. She had filled out a little bit and recovered muscle. She no longer felt tired, and she felt quite excellent.

It was time to go. But not right now. Later, in the night when it would be harder to spot her.

Kali was talking to her about school, and how she thought it was a better idea for her to enroll in the new semester rather than jumping in now. She had asked her if she was ready for school now, and Yang numbly nodded her head yes. Just play along for now. Gather enough things to live on the road for a couple of weeks. Then leave.

"See, Ghira! Look how she's grown in such a short time!" As Kali fawned over her new daughter, and Ghira agreed with his wife, Yang's smirk was covered by her blonde hair.

Blake pursed her lips and said nothing, only sending her parents a farewell and heading out the door to go to school early.

* * *

"So?" Ren asked, expectation filling that small word he had uttered. Blake shook her head, and Pyrrha patted her back encouragingly.

"Don't worry, Blake. I'm sure she'll come around."

"But it's already halfway through November and I'm pretty sure she hates me. And since she won't talk to me, I can't tell her that I don't hate her, so she thinks I hate her too. She probably thinks it's mutual."

"Wait, ya don't hate her?" Nora said, popping in the room from nowhere. "But didn't you say like a month ago that you couldn't stand her and that she was gross?"

"It's more like… "

"Oh, Velvet! It's so great that you're back!" Jaune exclaimed all of a sudden. Blake forgot what she was going to say as her attention snapped to the rabbit-loving girl that just entered the room. Blake swallowed awkwardly, and she could feel her hands begin to sweat.

Velvet walked with her back straight, although she still had a bit of a limp, and she beamed as she made her way to her group of former classmates. She wore a long sleeved shirt that exposed her shoulders, and a pair of worn jeans that hugged her curves just right. Blake looked away as Velvet began to catch up with her friends. Who were also Blake's friends. Blake didn't say anything as the conversation moved from Yang to the car accident, and it was only when Velvet directly spoke to Blake that she talked at all.

"Hey Blake. What have you been up to?"

"Ah, nothing much really," Blake replied with a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"She's got a new sister," Nora chirruped. Velvet tilted her head, and Blake corrected Nora's statement with as few words as possible.

"So her name is Yang?"

"She's going to enroll in our high school next semester," Ren inputted. Velvet nodded her head slowly, taking in this new information.

"Aha… I see. I've missed a lot since I changed schools."

"How is Atlas?" Jaune asked. Velvet's eyes brightened up, and she began to launch into a full explanation of what her school looked like, her new morning routine in order to made it to school on time, new friends, and other such matters. Blake smiled the whole time as she watched Velvet grow passionate.

"They've got two lunch lines, and all of the lockers actually lock!" Jaune whistled lowly, and Nora's eyes widened.

"Their lockers actually lock…" Pyrrha echoed Velvet. Even Ren was impressed.

"Now that is what I expect from Atlas. Velvet, you're so lucky to go to that rich school."

"It's not a rich school! It's just a public high school with high standards!"

"Rich school! It just screams rich school! That's where all of the state's funding goes to, I bet!"

"I heard that we're going to finally get new textbooks soon-"

"That's what they said last year, and the year before. It's not going to happen, Jaune."

"Pyrrhaaaaa~"

The more Blake watched their interactions with each other, the more she felt a strong pang resonate in her heart. She gazed at Velvet, and their eyes caught each other for a moment.

'We'll talk later,' was the message that was exchanged. And Blake felt so much happier when Velvet smiled at her reassuringly.


	4. Just a mask

Blake couldn't say she was disappointed when she arrived at an empty household that afternoon. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and she supposed that Yang had decided to leave sooner.

Her heels clicked against the floor, and she shut the front door, letting a swirl of cold air surge inside. She wiped her feet and noticed how empty the house felt.

"Yang?" Blake called out, half expecting a grunt in reply. But she knew better, and the lingering silence that answered her confirmed her thoughts. She trod carefully, checking each room in the house, and pointlessly wandering the small hallways. But once she reached her room, it was inevitable that the blonde delinquent had left. The suitcase that had sat in the corner of Blake's room was gone, and Blake's bed, which Yang usually left unmade, had its covers tucked neatly into the frame.

It was as if she were never there.

Blake stared at her empty room, thinking, and then went to her vanity. She opened the drawer where she held a large tin can, and the lightness told her that Yang had found her personal stash of money.

Blake checked the kitchen, and although it looked untouched, it seemed that a few items were gone. Blake couldn't quite put her finger on what those things were, but the cabinets and pantry did seem a little vacant

After more searching for things Yang didn't leave behind, Blake went outside to check on the animals. The chickens were raking their feet against the grass, and the goats were near their trough. The pig wandered around eating… something. Blake narrowed her eyes, and she stepped closer to the fence to identify the food item Hamilton was eating.

Hamilton was eating the remains of a large squash. The small pig usually ate fast, and squash happened to be one of his favorite things to eat.

"Yang didn't leave the property yet," Blake realized, and she hurriedly went inside to prepare herself for a journey in the woods. She put on rain boots, a large coat, a hat, carried extra gloves in her right pocket, and she took her phone and a flashlight as an afterthought.

No one knew these woods better than her father, and Blake was second to that title, as her father often had taken her on small trips in the forest when she was younger. Therefore Blake took a series of short routes that would lead her to the heart of the woods. From there, it would be easy to find the blonde.

How she knew that Yang was in the woods was simple. The Belladonnas lived on a dead end road, so Blake would have seen Yang pass by her. The only other way to go to the main highway was by cutting through their backwoods and going to the highway directly itself, which would be a good ten miles away. The delinquent couldn't have walked far.

The crunching of leaves beneath Blake's feet was rhythmic. The evening was already settling in, which made the dead world of trees seem even duller. Soon enough, she reached a thin pine tree that had been marked with several scratches, and she knew she had reached the middle of the property. All she would have to do now was listen. Blake shut her eyes and blocked out everything.

How many people actually take the time to stop what they're doing and just listen to the sound of the wind swish through the swaying trees? How many others put their life on pause to simply think abstract thoughts?

Blake had mastered the skill of listening and thinking when she was quite young. No one had taught her, but since she was an only child and had no neighborhood friends to play with, she spent quite a lot of time alone. This didn't affect her like it would most people. She grew up normally, and most people said that she was very mature for her age.

Silence had a particular sound to it. It started with a low buzz and rang out in one's ears to fill their minds with noise. Blake had looked into this phenomenon using the Internet, and this was caused by tinnitus.

Her ears didn't ring with silence.

She heard a stick crunch somewhere to the upper left of where she was standing.

A branch fell out of a tree behind her.

The sound of shuffling leaves was off to her left.

Leaves couldn't shuffle by themselves without any wind.

Blake darted westwards, flicking on her flashlight as the darkness embraced the world rapidly. Even with her keen vision and hearing, it was getting harder and harder to see where she was. Blake flicked the flashlight in long motions, and soon a yelp and a flash of gold caught her attention.

Blake turned off the flashlight and approached the taller figure, who didn't budge a muscle. The suitcase stood on its end beside her, and Yang wore a small gym bag on her back.

Blake hesitated before placing a hand on the brawler's shoulder. Yang flinched, and Blake held strong, simply letting her hand rest there for a while. Then:

"Let's go home, Yang. It's getting colder out here."

"Why?" the blonde asked quietly. That one word hung above the two, and Blake knew that Yang wasn't asking for a reason to go back to the house. Blake assessed her own feelings, and one stuck out in particular – guilt.

She would feel guilty if Yang left. Not because of the way she had treated her at first, but because she would have been the only one to have known why Yang left.

"I hear you talk in your sleep sometimes. I know you miss your sis-"

"You don't know shit about me." Yang's words cut through Blake like a knife. Blake faltered for a second, and Yang made use of this time to add more of her thoughts.

"I'm not the person you think I am. I don't care about you, and I don't care about myself anymore." Blake's eyebrows furrowed questioningly.

"She's better off without me. I know this, and yet I still want to look for her. What will happen if I do find her… I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't recognize me. I wouldn't even be hurt if she didn't remember me. I just-" Yang felt her voice break, and she curled her hands into fists. "I just want to have a place in this world! I want to be needed, and I want to make my own rules!" Tears sprung out of Yang's eyes, and she faced Blake, fearlessly showing her flowing tears.

"Not like you would understand! All your life you've had it good! A family, a normal fucking life!" The blonde sank to her knees and bowed her head as she ran her fingers underneath her hair, grabbing onto her own head, and covering her eyes with her palms.

"I wished I could just be a badass and not give a shit about anything anymore! I want to…" Yang trailed off, and a huge wave coursed through her body. She shuddered, becoming weak, and clutched onto Blake's legs, sobbing.

Blake looked down at Yang with heavy-lidded eyes, her expression showing sympathy and tenderness. Now was not the time to look upon past actions – for both her and Yang. What was in front of her was a wounded girl, hurting from various events in her life that she shouldn't have gone through.

And what she needed was comfort.

A family.

Healing.

Love.

Blake's hand shook as she slowly combed through Yang's locks. The blond stiffened, and Blake retracted her hand.

"More…" a croaky whisper pleaded below.

"Only if you come home," Blake answered.

"Let's go home, Yang. It's cold outside."

* * *

Yang sniffled as Blake wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, leaving and returning to set a cup of hot, steaming tea in front of her. Yang stared at the offering, and tears welled up and threatened to spill on her cheeks again. She didn't move to take it, and Blake said nothing, only going to the front door to check if her parents were home yet. They weren't, which was unusual. Blake then remembered that they had gone to an auction at a nearby church and weren't expected to be home until late that night.

That was fine. Yang required time to compose herself.

Blake peeked at the blonde curiously. Her eyes were puffy, and snot dripped from her reddened nose. Strands of hair stuck to her face from tears, and her eyes indicated misery.

She was a complete mess. This was the part of her that she didn't want anyone to know.

'So the toughness was just a mask to keep her moving through life,' Blake mused to herself as she leaned against a wall opposite from Yang. 'Looks like it finally crumbled and she remembered something.'

Neither girl spoke a word. It was understood that right now was not a time to talk. Words weren't necessary to know that Yang couldn't understand why Blake was treating her kindly. Golden eyes rested upon lilac ones, reflecting warmth upon pools of sadness.

Blake pulled a chair back, thought better of it, and went to go sit next to Yang. Yang closed her eyes, and Blake took her hand, rubbing her thumb on rough knuckles. The blonde seemed to hesitate before letting her head rest on Blake's shoulder.

She was so warm.

* * *

The remainder of November passed without any hitches. The days grew colder to prepare for winter, and Kali had prepared a delicious feast of turkey, salmon, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, and homemade cranberry sauce and gravy.

All with the aid of Ghira and Blake, of course.

The four members of the household gathered around the table and salivated at the tasty dishes before them.

"Anything you want to say, dear?" Kali asked her husband. The large man looked thoughtful before he spoke.

"I'm thankful for this delicious food that sits before us, our property, our jobs, and of course, my beautiful family. A man couldn't ask for more than that." Kali smiled and added her own input.

"I'm grateful for this house, our animals, a year without hard times, and all of our lovely friends." Kali looked at Yang next, and the blonde bit her lip.

"Yang? Would you like to say something?" Yang chewed on her lip for a few seconds and came up with an easy thing.

"I'm happy that you guys let me stay here and stuff. I really appreciate it, and um, thank you for feeding me." Ghira laughed heartily, and Kali joined him. Blake smiled, and Yang shrank into her seat, uncomfortable.

"You're too honest, Yang. Now, Blake?" Blake looked at her family, the table, the food, and thought of all the things she had.

Then she thought of all the things Yang didn't have, and the new outlook she had on her lifestyle.

"I'm thankful for everything you guys provide for me. You must be the greatest parents in the entire world."

"Oh sweetie, that's so-"

"And I'm glad that you let Yang into our lives. Because I believe she might've been the best thing that has happened to me." Blake looked straight into Yang's eyes, and she gave a pure smile.

"I'm glad you're here."

Yang felt like crying.

* * *

"Yang, scoot over," Blake commanded. Yang only budged a little, and Blake used her hip to push the girl further.

Her parents still hadn't quite fixed rooming arrangements, and Yang was still sleeping on her bed. As Blake was tired of waking up with a stiff back and neck pain, she proposed that they sleep on the same bed, with Yang's head on one end and Blake's on the other. Yang had agreed, but…

"I'm literally hanging off the bed! Give me some room!"

"I am giving you room! Look at all that space!"

"This is a full-sized bed. I should not have my ass in the air to fit comfortably."

"Fine, fine," Yang grumbled, rolling over to lean against the wall. "Better now, princess?"

"Much, thanks," Blake replied with a sarcastic undertone. She snuggled her head into the pillow and tried to get in a comfortable position, so that she could drift off to dreamland.

"Blake, someone keeps messaging you on your phone. Can I silence it?"

"Sure," Blake murmured out sleepily, her lids closing her eyes.

"Are you sure? This Velvet chick looks like she wants to talk to you."

Blake shot up and reached for the phone, swiping left to read the messages. Yang raised an eyebrow at the sudden reaction, but thought nothing of it, only turning on her side to face the wall.

Blake's lips curved upwards at the corners as she read the first messages, then dipped downwards as she read the pleading questions. Her thumbs trembled as her heart broke in two, and she typed in three small words: "Go for it." A minute later, a relieved sentence was sent to her, and Velvet bade good night to her best friend.

Blake felt like crying.

* * *

Yang woke up to the sound of humming, and she crawled over to the edge of the bed sleepily.

Outside the world was still dark, but inside, the room was lit by a lone lamp in the corner of the room. And near that lamp was a half-dressed Blake, who hummed a tune as she got ready for the day.

Yang watched for a few seconds, and Blake finally noticed her roommate was awake, stopping her humming.

"Good morning," Blake said.

"Why do you sound like you're trying to be cheerful?" Yang queried. "It sounds bittersweet."

"…"

"… I love my best friend." An eyebrow was raised, and Blake clarified her statement.

"Romantically."

"… Girl or boy?"

"Girl."

"… I'm assuming she's straight."

"Unfortunately, your assumption is right."

"So, does she know about your unrequited love?"

"… she does."

"Welp," Yang stood up and stretched her arms above her, groaning as she felt a small burn ache in her shoulders, "that sucks." To put it simply.

"That's pretty much our situation." A complicated one at that.

"She… kissed me on the cheek when we were in sixth grade. And I guess, that's when I realized that she was different somehow. I always wanted to be with her, and I always wanted her to look at me."

"Do your parents know?"

"They don't. I really don't know how they would react." Yang sank into the chair and gazed up at Blake.

"They're lovely people. I don't think they'd disown you or anything." Blake stared at her reflection, and she observed her features, looking over each and every one with care.

Shiny black hair, golden eyes, straight nose, full rosy lips, rounded jawline, thin eyebrows. She could have any guy she wanted with just this pretty face. Sun…

She clenched her fists and tried her best not to think of him.

"Did you sleep well?" Yang grinned and held out a thumbs up.

"Like a log!"


	5. Miss Honey

Life is a complex sort of thing. You want something, and at the same time, you don't have the will to obtain it. There is always fear of something – what if it doesn't turn out how I want it? What if I'm wrong about how it really is? Is this the right thing to do?

There are two ways to react to things that happen in life. One way would be to analyze your situation and determine which way would be best to go about it. The other would be to pretend the situation is insignificant and simply avoid it until the time comes to confront it.

Of course, even the explanation above is simplified. Depending on the circumstances a person had to go through, their feelings, their personality, a person could easily make a bad decision and go through with it, knowing fully well the consequences of their actions.

It's just a thing that makes me wonder how humans consider themselves smarter than any other animal on Earth.

* * *

"Neon, what are you thinking of?" Blake crouched down on the floor and Neon rolled over on her back. The dark haired girl scratched her belly affectionately. She noticed the new white furs that had appeared on Neon's muzzle, and the way that Neon's viridian green eyes seemed a little bit dimmer.

"Atta girl. You're still plenty young," Blake crooned, picking up her cat and stroking her fur. She walked up to the window of the front door and looked out towards the gate, her eyes troubled. It was a beautiful Saturday in December, and the temperature was around 70 degrees. It was bright and sunny, and one could almost be fooled that it was springtime if it weren't for the dead, brown grass and the barren trees. North Carolina was known to be unpredictable, so this didn't bother Blake in the least.

It didn't bother Yang either. Blake watched her foster sister run laps around their front yard, and the blonde would suddenly stop every so often and drop down into a set of push-ups. The delinquent had tied back her blonde mane with one of Blake's best hair ties (the thinner ones ended up snapping due to her thick hair), and she wore a plain black sports bra and a pair of Kali's sweatpants (Blake only owned yoga pants, and she hardly exercised at home). It made Blake wonder why on earth Yang would want to exercise today of all days, but she supposed that Yang wanted to preserve her muscles. The brawler would often flex her biceps for no good reason.

Yang soon tired and jogged to the front door. Blake stepped out, releasing Neon from her hold, and handed a cold bottle of water to the blonde, along with a small towel to wipe her sweat. Yang, still gasping, accepted these items and took a few minutes to calm her breathing and cool down.

"I'm actually glad you guys live on so much land. It's fucking awesome that I don't have to run the same sidewalks over and over again."

"You should take a shower. You stink." Yang winked at Blake and raised her half empty water bottle at her.

"Only for you, m'dear." Blake rolled her eyes and held the door open for Yang, and the blonde sighed as she stepped inside the house. She unceremoniously let her hair loose from the hair tie in one fluid motion, and much to Blake's shock, kicked off her sweatpants so that she now strutted around half naked.

"Have some shame!" Blake yelled, picking up the sweatpants and thrusting them towards Yang. Yang only stuck her tongue out mischievously and walked off into the hallway, presumably towards the bathroom. Blake shook her head, and she checked the front gate half-heartedly again, only to find a white car waiting in front of it. Her heart jumped in her chest, and Blake quickly opened the gate with an automatic remote. The white car pulled into the driveway, and the dark haired girl trotted down the steps and down the small sidewalk to greet Velvet.

The brown haired girl clambered out of the small car, a pair of sunglasses perched on her face. She waved her hand, and she shut the door behind her softly.

The two embraced, and Blake sighed happily into the smaller girl's shoulder, closing her eyes for a second. She could smell Velvet's rose-scented shampoo and Dove body wash, and her hair was so soft and tickled her nose. The two parted, and Velvet's eyes were shining with excitement.

"He likes me too!"

Blake felt as if someone had pummeled her stomach. Nevertheless, she smiled through the pain.

"Oh, really? That's great!" Velvet beamed, and she led the way back inside and into Blake's room.

"My parents went yard saling earlier." Velvet hummed in understanding. The weather was quite fair today.

"I can't believe it's been so long since we've seen each other!" Velvet exclaimed as she sank into Blake's bed, pressing her nose into the pillow. Blake rubbed her arm and looked off to the side.

"Yeah, me neither…"

"How's you and Yang doing?"

"We're…" Blake paused, thinking of a good word to put into their relationship with each other. "Better," she decided to use. It was true that Yang and Blake were more comfortable with each other, but there were still a few lines that hadn't been crossed yet. Namely, Blake didn't touch Yang willingly, she didn't joke with the brawler the same way as she would with her friends, and she didn't insult the blonde. It was a mutual understanding between black and yellow that they were still trying to adjust to their new lives, as sisters. Blake frowned to herself. Sisters wasn't really the right term, but it was all she had for now.

"That's good. Where is she now?" Velvet inquired.

"She's taking a shower," Blake replied. "So… how are you two doing?" As much as she hated to ask, she wanted to know how Velvet was doing. She had known that her friend was straight, and yet she still fell for her. She had long since promised herself to continue being Velvet's friend… Because she loved Velvet so much, she would rather see her happy. And it tore her up on the inside, but if Velvet could smile, it was all worth it.

"We're going on a date at Joyner Park. After that we'll go see that new movie, and then we'll probably head home after that. My mom doesn't really see anything in him, but my dad likes him." Velvet lifted her cocoa brown eyes towards Blake and sighed dreamily. "He's perfect, Blake. Absolutely perfect."

That sentence didn't hurt as much as Blake thought it would, but it still hurt nonetheless. Before Blake could respond to Velvet's sentence, a large yawn resounded from the hallway.

"Blake, get me a shirt and some pants-"

Velvet's jaw dropped slightly, and Blake felt her face flush with embarrassment. Velvet averted her eyes and said nothing as Yang entered the room with a towel around her body and another on her head. Yang raised her eyebrows and merely looked at Velvet, then turned to Blake.

"You didn't say anyone was coming over today, Blakey."

Total silence answered her. Yang groaned and pulled the towel off her head, letting her wet locks of hair tumble from the top of her head.

"Let me just go get my stuff, and I'll change in the bathroom…"

After Yang exited the room, the atmosphere was still awkward for the two childhood friends. Velvet coughed into her fist.

"So, is she…?"

"That's Yang."

"… she's very confident, isn't she?"

"When she wants to be, I guess…"

"…"

"…"

"Blakey, huh?" Blake covered her eyes with her arm and moaned at the childish nickname Yang had bestowed upon her some time ago. Velvet grinned and poked Blake's side playfully. "It's cute. I like it."

"Please don't call me that," Blake asked. Velvet nodded, and then the two began to talk about various things that had happened over the time they had been separated. Blake mostly let Velvet do the talking. She talked mostly of Atlas, her older brother, and the pet rabbits at her house. Blake smiled at the mention of the bunnies. She would often play with them at Velvet's house when they were both in middle school… when things were more innocent…

"I don't mean to intrude, but this is my room too, so…"

The entering of Yang popped the comfortable bubble surrounding Blake and Velvet.

"Hello, Yang," Velvet said, ducking her head in a greeting. Yang waved her arm towards Velvet's direction to acknowledge her presence.

"Hey-o."

"I've heard about you from Blake."

"Ditto here, honeybun." Velvet touched her small bun unconsciously, wondering if Yang was referring to her hairstyle, and decided to continue trying making conversation.

"I heard you like to play video games?" Yang grunted in response, her lilac eyes intimidating Velvet.

Blake didn't like the way Yang was glaring at Velvet at all.

'What the hell, Yang!?' was Blake's exact thought as Yang scoffed and crossed her arms. She then looked down on Velvet pityingly, her face contorting into a sneer.

"What a cruel little bunny we have here. You oughta be ashamed of yourself."

Velvet blinked in astonishment. "Excuse me?"

Yang grinned darkly, shaking her head.

"You're such an asshole for being so fucking selfish. Take better care of your friends."

"Um, excuse me!?"

"I just told you what your problem is. Now learn to deal with it."

"Don't you have more problems than me, delinquent?"

"Hmm," Yang pointed a finger to her chin thoughtfully, feigning innocence, "I may have more problems than you, but at least I acknowledge that I do have problems instead of trying to forget I have one."

"Yang, cut it out." Blake was pissed now. What the hell was Yang thinking, picking a fight with Velvet, her Velvet?

"I'm just trying to remind her that she has a friend who's still obviously crushing on her! It's so clear that you're hurt, and she's being a brat for making you listen to her shit!"

Velvet stood up, her dark brown eyes blazing with anger as she fumed. Yang watched with amusement as the brown haired girl stalked off into the hallway. Blake and Yang heard the front door shut, and golden eyes glared at violet ones. Blake reached for her phone, only to have the device snatched away by Yang.

"Yang. Give. Me. The. Fucking. Phone."

"Oh. Looks like someone is angry," Yang said, mirth in her eyes. Blake was briefly reminded of Yang's repulsiveness she had demonstrated the first day she had arrived.

"Leave me alone," the dark haired girl spat, leaving the room.

A mew sounded from the corner of the room. Yang picked up Neon, hugging her loosely to her chest.

"Maybe Blake will actually use her fucking head now. She'll come around."

* * *

"I don't understand. We were getting along so well, and then she goes and does this shit!" Blake hissed into the phone.

"Blake, Blake-roo, Blay-Blay, Blake darling, calm down. Just BREATHE."

"I can't stand her, Nora!"

"Nora, pass me the phone… Blake, just listen to me. I've been listening and I think I know what you're problem is."

"Ren? You were listening this whole time?!"

"You need to calm down. Otherwise I can't talk to you, Blake. Calm down."

"… Okay. I'm calmer now."

"Good. Now, where are you?"

"I'm outside near the goats' fence."

"Go sit down somewhere. Anywhere. Even your back porch steps."

"Okay."

"Are you sitting?"

"Yes."

"Blake… I'd have to say that Yang wasn't in the wrong this time."

"WHAT!?"

"Everyone can see that you're torn up inside. It's so obvious that you like Velvet. Even our other classmates think that you have some sort of thing for her."

"…"

"And even if you say it doesn't hurt, she should know better than to just pretend things are normal. She should be more considerate of your feelings."

"… But I love her, Ren. I can't help it."

"Do you really still love her? Or are you still holding on to something?"

"I do love her."

"Blake… it's been six years. You've never even had the desire to be… intimate with her, right?"

"It's because I'd want to kiss her first."

"Blake, please just consider this. I know that you and Velvet are close – hell, you two could be sisters – but I think that at this point you're just attached to her."

"…"

"To clarify, you may think you're in love, but you're looking in the past. Remember that cute greenette you would fawn over at Dairy Queen?"

"Emerald? What about her?"

"Weren't you attracted to her? You even said that you would date her."

"… I mean, she was hot."

"Exactly. If you were still in love with Velvet, you wouldn't really think too much of other people's appearances. You might still have some feelings for Velvet but… I think you're just having a hard time moving on."

"… I think I'm starting to see something, Ren."

"Good. Hold onto that and just think about it more. I'm sure you'll find an answer somewhere."

* * *

Yang raised her head when Blake entered the room, half expecting the dark haired girl to yell at her. But what happened next surprised her.

"Let's go out on a date."

Gold eyes held steady with lilac ones.

There was a moment of silence.

Then:

"What." It wasn't even a question, but rather a statement.

"We need to talk about a few things. I'm… I think you need some fresh air." Blake looked at Yang.

"I think you're ready to go out and have a cup of coffee with me."

* * *

They decided to go to the Coffeehound the next day. After asking Blake's parents for permission and a few 'are you sure's, Kali and Ghira thought that it was time for Yang to explore the town a bit, instead of staying cooped up on the property.

"Make sure to really educate her in our ways." Blake rolled her eyes at her mom's comment.

"Mom, please. I'm pretty sure Yang knows how to talk to people here. The South isn't really that different." Kali only hummed in response, and Blake beckoned Yang towards the door.

Yang would do different things at the Belladonna house each day. Sometimes she would sit down and watch TV. Other times she would eat out of the fridge or the pantry. But always, she found some time to go outside. She couldn't have stood sitting down for this long anyhow. Bit by bit, she learned her way around the vast property. There was the goats' pen, the chicken coops, the pig's pen, two sheds, a workshop, three storage units, an old playground, a deck with a grill on top of it, and plenty of shelters next to the large building. Moreover, there were carports everywhere for the many vehicles and trailers.

And of course, there was the small forest in the back of the property, to top it all off.

So Yang knew just about where everything was at this point, and she led the way to Blake's white 2002 Toyota 4Runner. Yang wasn't really fond of the car, as she wasn't into SUVs (she thought motorcycles were cooler looking). However, she had never been inside the 4Runner at all, and she was amazed at how nice Blake's was.

It had been lifted so that it was taller than a regular 4Runner, and the outside was completely spotless, without a single scratch. The headlights were clear, and the license plate was clean. If that wasn't impressive enough, the interior was the thing that would impress anyone.

"I installed a bass system that my dad found in a dumpster, and I fixed the radio myself. I had to replace the carpet because it had a bunch of stains from the previous owner, and we found some really nice seat covers that were ripped a little. I sewed those up, and I put a few lights along the doors that'll turn on for those really dark days when we get home. The previous owner smoked, so I had to put some coffee grounds in the car to overpower the smell. I removed them, and now it smells a lot better, right?"

Yang had no idea what Blake just said, and she wasn't going to admit it. Yang nodded in appreciation, crossing her arms, shivering. It was a low 42 degrees today, with a few breezes.

"Since we have a lot of icy roads during wintertime in the countryside, most of our vehicles are four-wheel drive." Four-wheel drive? The hell was that?

"Are we getting there soon or what?" Yang grumbled, not happy with the wind that just blew right through her.

The ride there was warm and comfortable, much to Yang's delight. Blake made idle talk, and Yang entertained her with a few puns and sexual jokes – which Blake pretended to dislike, but soon found herself laughing despite herself.

It was as if they hadn't had been angry at all. It was quite peaceful.

Blake parallel-parked the car in a spot across the street from the Coffeehound, and Yang shivered as she wrapped her hair around neck in a makeshift scarf. Blake noticed this, wordlessly passed Yang a few dollars, and disappeared around the corner, leaving Yang confused. The blonde had no idea what happened, so she went ahead inside the Coffeehound, figuring Blake would come back after doing whatever she was doing.

The shop was surprisingly not much warmer than the temperature outside, which made Yang pissed, as she expected a cozy shop to sit in. However, the irresistible smell of freshly brewed coffee and hot chocolate, combined together, was more than enough to relax the delinquent a little. Still grumbling, she walked up to the register, where an old man simply nodded at her as he waited for her order.

"I'll have a… uh… um, just a hot chocolate is fine. With extra whipped cream." The man pointed to the numbers displayed, and Yang fished out four dollars and received a quarter and some pennies in change. The man grunted and gestured around the shop, and Yang understood that the books on the wall were available for her to read.

The bell rang, signaling the next guest, and Yang took a cautious sip of her hot chocolate, wincing anyway when the scorching liquid met her tongue. She felt her hair being lifted, and she stiffened. A piece of fabric was wrapped around her neck, and the hair was gently put back into place.

"I just remembered that I haven't offered you any winter accessories," a voice whispered next to her ear. Yang was stunned, touched at the gesture. She looked down and felt the soft orange polyester with her bare fingertips, brushing the pads of her fingers lightly against it. She then looked at Blake, who smiled at her happily.

"Thank you." She didn't know how else to convey her heart's emotions, trembling with gratefulness, embarrassment, and a little bit of fear. She hadn't received a gift in such a long time. She had almost forgotten the fuzzy feeling of getting a present out of the blue. It was a pleasant sensation, and it was nostalgic of an earlier, happier life.

"It's almost Christmas, Yang. School will be out in a couple of weeks, and my parents were thinking that we would go visit family in Florida."

"Florida?" Yang echoed back, her voice a little empty. Blake nodded.

"That's where we're from originally. I was born in Los Angeles, though, when my parents were attending a funeral."

"How… morbid."

Blake had to hand it to Yang. As bad as that pun was, it was actually pretty funny.

"So what relatives do you have in Florida? And what part are you from?"

"We're from Homestead. It's pretty close to Miami. We usually stay with my grandma and my grandpa, and sometimes I'll help out at her restaurant. I also have an aunt, and uncle, and a couple of younger cousins."

"I'll be honest, it sounds boring if we're just going to be lounging around a restaurant and your grandma's house. Anything else you can do there?" Blake waggled her eyebrows playfully at Yang.

"I can teach you Spanish if you'd like. There's a large Cuban population, so not everyone speaks English."

"Wait a second, you speak Spanish!?"

"I thought you knew. Haven't you picked up that we like Mexican food and sometimes use Spanish words in our conversations at home?"

"… I thought you guys just liked using words in different languages." Blake shook her head, laughing a little.

"I'm half Mexican, half American. My mom is Mexican and got her citizenship when she was in high school, and my dad is a mix of European countries." Yang stared at Blake, scrutinizing her. Kali did seem to hold an exotic vibe, and she was a bit on the tan side. Yang held an open hand against her head and slowly lifted it away, making an exploding sound effect with her voice.

"My mind is blown. I never would have guessed." Blake laughed again, and Yang soon joined her, and a game of 20 Questions began.

"What's your favorite color, Yang?"

"Orange. Sunset orange is the best. You?"

"Purple. I've always liked it ever since I was little. I think it's a soothing color. What's your favorite word?"

"Archeopteryx."

"What the hell…?"

"When I was in elementary school, we were learning about dinosaurs, and I was the only one in my class who could spell archeopteryx. It's something I'm proud of. Can you spell it?"

"A-R-C-H-E-O-P-T-E-R-Y-X." Yang frowned.

"I thought that was a word not a lot of people could spell."

"I read a lot of books and I've had a lot of time to myself. I'm a good speller."

"What's your favorite word then, you bookworm?"

"Matilda." Blake said, her answer clear and unwavering.

"That kids' book about that girl and her stupid family and principal?"

"That's the one. It will always be my favorite, no matter how many times I read it or if there are better books." Yang was intrigued, and she pressed for an explanation.

"Well," Blake began, thinking about what she was going to say, "I read it when I was eight years old and loved it, mainly because it was funny and it used British English. I thought it was interesting, and as I grew older and reread it, I caught many details that tipped me off."

"About what?" Yang asked, politely continuing the conversation.

"Matilda and Miss Honey were abused, yet they turned out so different. I realized that Miss Honey wasn't just a wimpy adult. She was traumatized. On the other hand, Matilda used her anger against her parents to pull pranks on them. She found a way out of her situation, and Miss Honey only got out of hers with Matilda's help.

Miss Honey was kind and considerate, but she wasn't a courageous character. She was very realistic in reacting to her living situation, and it must have taken so much to move out of her house and live on her own."

Blake's gold eyes settled on Yang's hot chocolate, and she realized that she hadn't even ordered anything for herself yet. The hot chocolate smelled delicious.

"Which one?"

Blake looked up at Yang, tilting her head in inquiry. "Which one what?"

Yang's half-lidded eyes closed as she sighed, breathing in the scent of the hot chocolate before taking a sip.

"Which character do you identify with? Matilda or Miss Honey?"

Blake found it odd that Yang was actually asking about something in a thoughtful manner. Yang seemed to have changed within the past few minutes.

"I used to identify with Matilda, but now I feel like Miss Honey." Yang opened her eyes and offered Blake her hot chocolate. Lilac eyes burned red with anger, similar to how they looked at Velvet.

"Then stop fucking around and holding on to the past. Whatever you two had, it's gone. I can see how obviously she keeps you in the dark. She's being cruel to you if she thinks that you'll be at her beck and call for the rest of your lives." Yang's face seemed to move closer to Blake's.

"That's no way to live. Confront your demons. Or just tell them to leave their visit. You've already settled things with them. You don't need to invite them over for tea every time Velvet comes around."

Blake took Yang's hot chocolate, which had still been offered all this time, and swished the remaining liquid around in the cup. Then she downed the rest in a couple of gulps, placing the Styrofoam cup onto the table. The dark haired girl burped quietly, and she passed the cup back to the blonde.

"Thank you, Yang. You've opened my eyes."

"No problem, Blakey."


	6. Little sun dragon

For once, Blake didn't have to wake up at six in the morning and dress in the dark. In fact, it was Yang who had to wake her up, the blonde's reason being a request for a late morning breakfast. Blake groaned and held her hand against her forehead, a dull headache pounding inside her head. She really shouldn't have stayed on the Internet that late, but the newest episode of "Mr. Kobayashi's Dragon Butler" was just calling her. After watching that, she browsed Tumblr, and then YouTube. It was a vicious cycle that could only be ended with Blake passing out next to Yang. Who still didn't have her own sleeping arrangements. It wasn't a big deal anyways. Blake appreciated the extra warmth in her bed. Her room did get awfully cold after all.

"Blake, I'm starving. Please make me breakfast or I'll fucking kill myself."

"We're going to work on that sailor mouth of yours." Blake said, shaking her head as she tied her hair in a messy bun and walked over to the kitchen in her bare feet, a hungry Yang following her. Blake pulled out a small pan, and she scanned the fridge for something to make. She saw a can of biscuits, thought about it, shook her head, and went for the eggs and bacon. Yang probably didn't have the patience to wait for a tray of delicious biscuits right now.

She ignited the propane stove and cracked a few eggs before whisking them together in a bowl, adding a bit of salt and pepper as she went along. Blake poured in a bit of milk for fluffiness, and she whisked the eggs even more. She pulled out a second pan for the bacon and ignited the burner for that pan, and she sprayed Pam over the pan for the eggs. She then carefully poured the egg mixture into the pan, taking care not to splash.

Yang watched all this in fascination. Blake noticed Yang's interest, and her mouth curved upwards.

"Do you want to try?" Blake asked. Yang nodded slowly, standing up from her seat at the counter and awkwardly standing beside Blake. Blake handed Yang the wooden spoon she used to pour the eggs in.

"I'll handle the bacon since it splashes. All you have to do is scramble the eggs. If you see the egg cooking, just stir it and make sure that the egg cooks all over. It's really easy." Yang made a sound of acknowledgement, and Blake washed her hands in preparation for frying the bacon.

"Blake, I think it's ready. Do I just turn the stove off?" Yang queried as Blake put two last pieces of bacon in the pan.

"Turn off the stove and place the egg on the back burner so it doesn't cook anymore. Put a pot lid on it so it doesn't get cold. Oh, and could you toast some bread, please?"

"Where's the-"

"Beneath you in the cabinet, lower shelf. There's an outlet at the counter to your left where you can plug the toaster in."

"And where is the bread?"

"Right next to the microwave. Don't use the end slices. I feed those to Sunny."

"You seem pretty close to Sunny." Yang remarked as she retrieved the toaster and the bread. Blake shrugged and winced when a few drops of oil splashed onto her hand. Scorching oil didn't burn for long, however, and Blake quickly got over the pain.

"Sunny will be my wife, mark my words. She's everything I want in a woman."

"Your ideal woman is fat, selfish, and arrogant?"

"Oh, hush you. You know I'm just kidding."

Breakfast was soon piled on plates, and the two girls munched on their masterpieces of culinary art. Yang took a swig of orange juice and hummed enjoyably.

"That was good bacon, Blakey. Hey, I've been wondering for a while, but why is your name Blake? Isn't that kind of a boys' name?"

"I honestly have no clue." Blake admitted. "I did do some research in middle school about my name, and it turns out it means black." Yang eyed Blake's hair, and Blake noticed.

"That makes sense, I guess. Your hair is black, and that's kind of rare to see."

"I'm Hispanic, remember? A lot of Hispanics have black hair." Blake reminded Yang.

"True."

"Um, if it's not a touchy subject, do you know what your name means?"

Yang gave Blake a half-smile. "It's a Chinese name, and including my last name, it literally means 'little sun dragon.' It makes sense though, since I was born in the Chinese year of the dragon. That's what my dad told me, anyways."

"That's cool." Blake wanted to know more about Yang's family now, but she wasn't sure if she should push the matter. Yang still did seclude herself at times, usually after a dream involving her ever precious Ruby.

"Tell me about your family, Blake. You said you had some extended family in Florida?"

Blake broke out of her thoughts and confirmed what Yang said. "Yeah, an aunt, uncle and two cousins. They're all a little darker in complexion than my mom, and they have black hair, just like me."

"How old are your cousins?" Yang inquired.

"I'm not sure," Blake confessed. "It's been a while since we've visited Florida. Actually, it's been years. But I do know that one is a boy in middle school, and the other is a freshman in high school."

"You're terrible." Yang said.

Blake grimaced, ducking her head in shame. "I know I am. It's just that I never really paid much attention to my extended family, besides my grandma." Blake's eyes lit up when she mentioned her grandmother. "You'd love her, Yang. She's absolutely hilarious, especially when driving in traffic! Oh man, there was a time when she was trying to head down to Miami, and there was a severe backflow. When we finally crawled up enough to see what was going on, she started going off! There had been a car crash and everyone had stopped to see what was going on. The driver wasn't hurt, but… Yang? Are you okay?"

The delinquent had grown silent while Blake talked, and Yang smiled at Blake to reassure her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Um, you said your grandma owns a restaurant? I assume it's Mexican food."

"Yeah… it's a taqueria, but she also sells caldo, tortas, tamales -"

"English, Blake. I have no idea what those dishes are."

Blake grinned. "We need to train you how to be Mexican for a week. This ignorance isn't cutting it."

Yang raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"First off, let's work on your accent and your Spanish. Can you say hola?"

"Hola."

"Good! Now to introduce yourself, just say 'Soy Yang.'"

"Soy Yang."

"We're off to a great start. This'll be easy."

* * *

Within a day, Yang learned several words, and within a week, Yang was able to form her own sentences, although they were simple. Nevertheless, Blake was impressed that Yang had learned so much. She thought that it would have been more difficult to teach the blonde another language, but it seemed that Yang had a knack for learning. Which made Blake wonder…

"My education level? Probably not the same as yours." Yang joked as she stuffed a few T-shirts in her suitcase. "I think I stopped going to school when I was a freshman, but before that I would usually skip class with my friends."

Again, Blake was curious, but she asked another question instead. "So I've been wondering for a while now, but how did you get that scar on your arm?" Blake pointed at the faint mark on Yang's upper right arm, a small pink line that seemed to sever Yang's arm completely.

Yang winced. "Ugh. That. I was walking home with a couple of my friends, and we nearly got mugged by this guy. He had a knife, and one of my friends shoved me in front of him so he could get away. I knocked out a few of his teeth later."

Okay, Blake wasn't expecting that. She scrutinized Yang as the blonde continued to pack. Yang was very beautiful – that much was obvious – but there were untold stories behind the mask of beauty. Her muscles must have been put to actual use in the streets, either to run away from danger or to attack others in self-defense. Blake wondered why Yang had assaulted that man in the first place. Well, all of those people she assaulted. But now that Blake knew Yang just a little bit better, she knew that the brawler was actually quite kind.

It must have been why Neon was so trusting of the brawler the very first day that Yang had arrived. It was said that animals were far more intelligent with their instincts, after all. Maybe Neon had seen something in the sullen delinquent that Blake had not…and probably still didn't. Yang was quite an enigma, acting superior and confident one moment, and fragile and sensitive the next. But then again, people were complex and emotional beings. It was to be expected to be unable to expect another person's actions after only knowing them for two months.

Yet somehow, Yang had been able to see how Blake had suffered for years with a simple glance at her interaction with Velvet.

Truly, Yang was an enigma. And Blake wanted to know more about her. She wanted Yang to be able to trust her enough to tell her about her past life on the streets, and her earlier life with a family. She didn't want to see Yang break down like that other time when she had thought running away was a good idea. No, Yang needed to see that there were people who would care for her. And Blake wasn't completely sure that Yang was fully aware of the effect she had on their family.

Kali now had a skip in her step as she flitted around the house to clean. This was something she never had to do, because a three-person family did not generate much filth to clean the house often. Now that Yang was here (she wasn't the most well-mannered or cleanliest of people to begin with), Kali was able to take more pride in her household and clean to her heart's content.

Ghira was happy to have Yang here as well. The blonde seemed to take an interest in mechanics and outdoor work (something that Blake never liked, as she preferred her books and English classes), and the older man was more than happy to teach the brawler the things he knew. The two would often go outside to Ghira's workshop, and Yang would always return later in the evening, shivering with cold, but with a genuine smile on her face.

And Blake…well, as much as she enjoyed her childhood, which was filled with stories of brave men and women who journeyed to fantastic places, she had been quite lonely. Now that Velvet was unavailable and her parents worked jobs with longer hours, she had often found herself wishing to have a companion. Ren, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Nora were good friends of Blake's, but they were people she saw at school and joked around with. They were there for her, but Blake wanted something a little more…intimate. Someone who she could confide in with her insecurities and was able to see Blake for who she was. But she also wanted someone who would give themselves to her as well, without any fears of being judged or criticized.

Blake hoped that it would be Yang.

The dark haired girl blinked, finally taking note of her surroundings. She was still sitting on the floor with her legs tucked underneath her. Her hands were in her own suitcase, and they had not moved for a while. Yang had left at some point of her abstract thinking, and the room was noticeably darker.

Yang did seem to bring a certain light into the room, after all. No wonder Blake seemed to miss her presence, even if the blonde most likely had only went to use the bathroom.

Which, as it happened, was exactly what the brawler had went to do.

"Ugh, my asshole is on fire. Don't go in the bathroom anytime soon," Yang groaned as she stumbled into the room.

Yep, this was the person that Blake hoped to grow closer to. Still, Blake couldn't help but smile…and burst into snickers. Yang flopped lazily on to the floor, holding an arm over her eyes. Blake crawled over to Yang and pressed her hand against the blonde's forehead, eyes widening in slight surprise.

"You've a fever, Yang."

"You're telling me. My shit hole is burning up." Blake didn't even frown at Yang's crude term for her anus. And they were leaving for Florida tomorrow, too.

This was certainly going to be an "interesting" drive down to Florida this year.


	7. Memories of you

Whenever Yang was ill, she always slept a lot. And whenever she slept when she was ill, she dreamed. Sometimes she would dream about shadowy figures with glowing red eyes, and other times she would dream of living in an alternate world where there were humans with animal characteristics. Most of the time, however, she would dream about the past.

* * *

"Ruby?"

Right before Yang was a small girl with red-tipped hair. She had round cheeks and a slight bump for a nose, and she wore an oversized hoodie. Her hair was cut straight across and extended down her back. Yang looked around and noticed that her own hands had become quite soft and tender. She raised her arm, only to find them small and slender. She was in a room that wasn't quite familiar to her, and she could hear a television blaring in another room.

Yang then realized that this was the apartment she had lived in before her parents had died. It was smaller than what she remembered. And this was the room that she had shared with Ruby.

Ruby tugged on Yang's hand, and pointed excitedly out the front door. Yang allowed herself to be led out, and the two sisters walked side by side into the parking lot. There, a few neighborhood kids were at play, and they shouted and waved for the Xiao Long-Rose sisters to join them. As soon as Yang turned to join them, she felt a pull on her wrist and she looked at Ruby. The brunette shook her head and pointed beyond the kids. Yang followed Ruby's line of direction and found that it landed at the only playground at the apartment complex.

"Do you want to go play?" Yang asked her younger sibling. Ruby merely smiled and let go of Yang's hand to skip ahead, her long hair flowing behind her. Yang grinned and caught up to Ruby easily, and she slipped her hand into her sister's smaller one. Ruby leaned her head onto Yang's shoulder as they walked, and the two soon arrived at the playground.

The sisters shrieked with delight as they chased each other, played on the swings, and built sandcastles. There wasn't much to do in this playground, but if Ruby wanted to play, Yang wasn't going to deny her. Yang was about to go down the slide when she saw, further in the distance, a solemn young girl reading a book. Something bugged Yang about her, but when Ruby began to push her to go down the slide, Yang soon forgot about her. All that mattered was now. As Yang slid down, she had the sudden sensation of falling, falling, falling…

… and landing in an empty, darkened room. Sirens wailed from across the street, and Yang felt nothing but fear as she realized that she was alone. Her breathing quickened and she whirled around the room, only finding windows from each wall – no doors in sight.

"Ruby!" Yang ran up to the window, where her younger sister, her face once joyous and laughing, was now tearful and red as she was dragged away by two dark figures into a car.

"Ruby!" Yang screamed out as hot tears spilled out of her eyes, and she pounded at the windows, which now had iron bars on the outside. She continued her attempt to break out, but it was no use. It was as if the window were made of metal instead of glass. Yang let out one final scream before slamming her fists onto the wall beside the window. Without even looking at her hand, she could feel the sensation of warm blood running down her hand and along her arm. She had made them raw when she had pummeled the window.

Yang sank to the floor and buried her head into her arms, not saying anything for a few minutes. Then choked sobs wracked her body, and she began to feel miserable. She had lost Ruby, and she didn't know where Summer or Tai was. She wanted her stepmother to smile at her and wrap her up in a warm blanket, fresh out of the dryers at the Laundromat. She wanted her father to joke around and make her stepmother roll her eyes with his bad puns. But deep inside, Yang knew. She knew that they were gone, somehow, and they wouldn't come back. And this made Yang start another round of crying, her long blonde hair making a protective shield around her body.

It didn't feel like it, but time passed before she heard a knock on the door. Yang rose her head slowly, blinking, and looked around once again. She was a young teen now, and puberty hadn't quite hit her all the way. She was busty for her lean frame, but she still looked awkward without curves to balance out her upper body. She was now in another apartment, shared by five other girls and boys, all of whom Yang recognized to be her former friends. The leader of them all, Adam, was accompanied on the sole bed of the room with Ilia, and the twins, Melanie and Miltia, were sleeping on the pullout bed of the couch. On the living room floor was Flynt, and Yang herself laid across from Flynt.

Adam was the oldest of them all, as he was 17 years old, and his next-in-command was Ilia, a 16 year old girl who was only months younger than him. Flynt and the twins were 15, and Yang was 14.

The knock was heard again, louder this time, and Yang heard Ilia grumble in her sleep. Flynt shifted, and finally Melanie was the one who went to the door. The long haired girl looked through the peephole, and she locked the door and slid on the chain before joining Miltia once again.

"Who was it?" Adam's gruff morning voice asked, still heavy with sleep.

"I don't know. They left before I could see who it was," Melanie yawned out before falling back asleep.

Yang wouldn't have been surprised if the person was a cranky neighbor. They had been quite loud last night, after all. Adam had went to the other room to smoke with Ilia and Miltia, while Yang, Flynt, and Melanie played a drinking game involving Coke, vodka, and playing cards. Flynt had music blaring out from his "acquired" speakers that he had gotten his hands on a couple of nights ago, and Yang had gotten so tipsy that she now had red lipstick smeared all over her lips – Melanie's signature fire engine red. As for Adam and Ilia, everyone knew that they had went to the main bedroom for some privacy – although, the walls really were thin, and everyone could hear them – but no one really cared about that.

Yang heard Flynt groan in his sleep, and then dark brown eyes opened to look into lilac ones. Yang knew that he was the winner of last night's game, and that he was the most wasted and probably had a hangover.

"Good morning," she whispered to him, smiling a little. He attempted a smile back but ended up wincing, clutching his head. Yang turned over to face the small coffee table, only to stare right into golden amber eyes. Yang blinked, and she found herself staring at the short table's legs.

What was going on?

Yang blinked again, and then she saw that she was now in an alley – so painfully familiar for some reason. Yang pulled her hood over her head, and she waited for someone to arrive. Who she was waiting for, she didn't know, but Adam had told her that this person was the key to finding Ilia, who had ran off some time ago. Yang didn't blame Ilia for leaving. Although at one point all six of them had been a family, Adam's anger issues had grown considerably. He was now a tough and muscular 20 year old, and although they all were equally tough and strong, Adam was just stronger. When Ilia had left, he had went ballistic, and Miltia, who was like a younger sister to Ilia, had been the first to fall victim to his blows. Melanie had come in to rescue her twin, and it took Flynt and Yang to restrain the older man from breaking a bone on Miltia or Melanie.

Flynt and Yang had often talked about leaving, but they never had initiated anything. After that incident with Adam, Miltia had become even quieter than usual, and Melanie became increasingly hostile towards Adam.

Yang cleared her thoughts from her mind as she saw the figure of a man enter the alley. He wore a white coat and sported bright orange hair and dark eyeliner, and he walked in such a manner that Yang began to feel pissed off. However, Adam assured Yang that this man was an associate of his, and he gave specific orders to not get on his bad side. Yang was just to receive information, maybe try to prompt the man into giving more information. Adam had given Yang several hundred dollars in this case.

The man's name was Roman, and he spoke arrogantly from the start. Yang hated him already, but kept her mouth shut and her hands by her sides.

Yang managed to get a little more information out of him, effectively using the collateral Adam had provided her (but managing to only give half of it), and she was about to leave before Roman commented something that would catch her attention.

"A little birdie told me that you have a sister. Isn't that right, Yang?"

The brawler felt her fingers twitch, and her shoulders tensed. She slowly faced the man again, who only gave her a charming smile.

"Junior knows just about anything about anyone who frequents his bars. As for me, I have an acquaintance who knows about your mother, and in turn, she may or may not know the whereabouts of your sister."

Yang scoffed at the man. "My mom is dead."

Roman shrugged his shoulders. "Not according to your birth certificate, I'm sure. Raven Branwen, was it?"

Yang felt her fingers tap her thighs. "What the fuck do you want with me?" she barked.

Roman raised his hands defensively, an amused smile on his face. "Now now, settle down, firecracker. I just want to help you out. If you could help me out, then-"

"Not interested," Yang deadpanned as she walked away. She barely made it to the end of the alley before Roman uttered three syllables loudly.

"Ruby Rose."

Yang froze.

"Fifteen years old, adopted by the Pine family, currently lives in Naples, Florida. Deceased father and mother." Roman grinned as he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Formerly lived in Patch and had a half-sister. Now her delinquent older sister roams the streets of Mistral."

"What do you want?"

Her head started to cloud with anger and adrenaline, and she shivered when she felt Roman walk up and lean in close to her ear. "I need you, with your strong muscles and short temper, to go and… pay a visit to an old friend of mine. With pay, of course. And maybe, just maybe, a little more information about your sister. I hear that she plays the flute quite wonderfully."

Now Yang was in a different alley. But this time, she knew exactly where she was and what she had done.

Yang breathed heavily and relaxed her fists as she stood before the motionless lump before her. Yang's hands were bloody and bruised, and her hair was mussed and frizzy. The dark hoodie she wore was torn at the sleeves, which showed off her powerful muscles that she had earned after dozens of fights. Such as the one that had just ended.

She pulled her hood back and shoved her hands in her pockets, but she only left when she spat on the loser she had just beaten. Yang took a shortcut through an alley to leave the scene, and she followed a series of twists and turns that she had gotten familiar with after nights like these. The air was cold and dry, and she paid little attention to the passing cars and homeless bums she walked past. Her head hurt; she pressed a hand to her temple and felt the tender bruise that was forming. That would hurt in the morning.

Whoop whoop. Weeeeooooeeeeeeoooo.

Yang began to curse under her breath when she heard the distinct sound of sirens pierce the cool October air of the city.

"Damn little fuck was still conscious," she muttered. Angry because she didn't finish the job properly, she quickened her pace from a walk to a jog, and then a full out run when the red and blue lights began to flash at the corners of her vision. She gasped until her sides began to ache, and she could've sworn that the pit of her throat tasted like blood, and she tried her best to stumble her way back to where she lived. But Yang was too tired to keep up at this pace for anything more than two minute increments, and the blows that she had taken had started to affect her. The dry air did little to help her breathing as she panted towards the stolen dump of an apartment she called home. But as her vision turned black, she could feel herself fall onto the cold, hard concrete, and the rough edges that scraped her skin as her head connected with the ground.

The murmuring of the police officers' conversations was the last thing she heard, and 'screw the world' was the last thing she had thought before she gave in to the tempting darkness.

But when she did give into the darkness, she found her body being shaken. Yang swatted at the pair of hands and whimpered. Soft locks of hair tickled her bruised face, and Yang sighed at the comforting smell of TRESemmé that filled her nostrils.

"Yang. Wake up." But Yang didn't want to wake up. She had failed.

"Yang, please. You're scaring me."

Blake…?

* * *

Yang woke up and saw Blake looking down at her, a concerned expression on her face. It was kinda cute having Blake worried for her. But why was Blake holding her nose?

"Yang, we stopped at a rest stop to get you cleaned up. I need you to get up and we'll go to a bathroom."

"I promise I'm not mad," Kali called from the driver's seat. "I shouldn't have listened to you when you said you were fine. Next time, I will make you take some medicine, you hear?"

Yang sleepily registered Blake helping her out of the car and into the bathrooms – a shower, to be more specific.

Then Yang noticed the foul smell that emanated from herself, and she looked down onto her own chest to find…vomit.

Well, this was embarrassing, to say the least. She could only assume that she had thrown up in her sleep, most likely due to her fever.

"I think it's not a fever anymore. I think you might have a virus now." Blake said as she started a shower and helped Yang take off her hoodie.

"Whaaaa…?" Yang replied sleepily, her voice still raw and sluggish. Blake hesitated before gesturing Yang to take off her shirt, which Yang fumbled with but managed to do by herself.

"We're in Georgia right now. You're probably already hungry, and considering you just threw up, you need some more food in your stomach. I'll go get a towel for you." Blake disappeared, and Yang found herself staring after her. Blake did have a nice ass, now that Yang thought about it. Shaking her head, Yang entered the shower and grimaced when she began washing out chunks of gross half-digested food out of her hair. Not the prettiest of sights. But Yang didn't care.

Yang heard Blake enter the showers, and she could see through a crack in the shower curtain that Blake was sitting on a bench across from her, holding a fluffy white towel in her lap.

The two didn't say much as Yang took her shower, Yang only speaking to ask Blake for her towel and extra clothes.

"Yang, are you okay?" Blake suddenly inquired. Yang couldn't see Blake, but she could tell how worried she looked just from her voice alone. "You looked like you were having a nightmare." Yang did feel distressed after her sleep, but for some reason she couldn't recall her dream. Yang shrugged to herself. It didn't matter anyways.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I feel mind-fucked right now, though. Like I just lived through my whole life again or something. Maybe I went back in time."

Yang could practically see Blake shake her head. "You're going to take an aspirin, and you're going to stay awake with me. I think you've had enough rest anyways. I think my mom's almost done cleaning your seat anyways. It was a great idea of Dad's to put a towel on your seat before we left."

"Is your mom really okay with him not coming, by the way?" Yang asked.

Blake shrugged. "He couldn't find someone to take care of the animals this year, so he didn't really have a choice. But when we don't go down to Florida, we usually just celebrate Christmas throughout the whole month, mostly on New Year's day."

"Why do you guys do that?" Yang prompted.

Blake grinned sheepishly. "We're kinda lazy about taking down the Christmas decorations. Our record of laziness is four months, so… April."

Yang looked at Blake, and then laughed quietly to herself. "For a family that loves cleaning, I can't believe that you guys would do that. That is ultimate laziness."

"Hey, taking down Christmas decorations is a pain," Blake protested.

"Yeah," Yang said, still smiling, "I bet it is."

* * *

Once that incident was over and Kali made sure that Yang had taken some medicine, it was only a few hours before they would arrive to Florida. Blake had taken the rest of the day shift, much to her mother's relief, and Kali had moved to the back seat with a blanket and pillow to rest up. Yang glanced at the exotic woman beside her, then glanced at Blake, whose focus was on passing a car on the interstate. Yang gazed out of the window, jolting a little in surprise when Kali began to lean on her shoulder.

Roses were all that Yang could think of right now. They were Ruby's favorite, and they were the last thing that Yang had given her before Ruby was adopted. Yang remembered that day somewhat clearly. There had been a lot of crying involved, and Yang had pretended to not be devastated, but the truth was that she had been completely broken on the inside. After that, she had searched for a place in this world. If she couldn't be a sister to Ruby, then what good was she? When Ilia had found Yang, having escaped from her foster home and hungry, Yang was ecstatic to have had a new family. Adam was like the dad, Ilia was like a mom, Miltia and Melanie were like the aunts, and Flynt had been a brother to Yang. Yes, they were friends - probably not good ones, in all honesty - but with each day that Yang lived with them, there had always been an air of camaraderie. Of living without the influence of adults. Of being independent from society.

Every time that Ironwood had found Yang, and every time that Yang broke free from shitty foster families, Yang never felt more alive - and alone. Maybe that's why she had kept going back to that apartment.

When Yang had came to stay with the Belladonna family… she couldn't stand how normal it was. It was so familiar that it seemed foreign to the brawler, and Yang hated it. She had hated the whole situation. There had been no point in Ironwood trying to help her. But she had needed to rest. She had been beaten up pretty bad, and she had decided to lay low. But Kali, and Ghira, and Blake…

Blake was the only one who had been uncomfortable with Yang staying at her house, and Yang could understand that. Yang didn't like how Kali had tried to make everything seem normal, and she didn't like how passive Ghira was. Blake was realistic about the situation, and Yang learned to respect her for that.

But now? Now Yang wasn't sure what to think. Sure, Kali could still seem over motherly to her - but she was over motherly to Blake as well. And sure, Ghira would ask Yang to help him outside - but he would actually put her to work. And Blake… Blake hadn't changed since day one. Not in her attitude towards the blonde, but rather her unwavering understanding that Yang was not just a homeless girl who had gotten in trouble with the law. And with that understanding, Blake had eventually befriended the delinquent.

Delinquent…

Yang didn't care much for labels. She did what she wanted, whenever she wanted, and anyone who thought otherwise could just fuck off. There was a time where Yang would have even been proud of being called a delinquent. But now, now she didn't like the word. She knew Blake had probably called her that, at least in her thoughts, and Velvet had even said it to her.

Maybe it really did suit her. She was a minor, she had committed crimes, and to fit the stereotype, she had skipped school often. But she didn't do it anymore, did she?

Did she? If she had the choice of being here with the Belladonna family or back at the apartment with her friends… would she stay or would she go? Both had accepted her readily, and both had supported her. Both had their flaws, and both had their downsides. So really, objectively speaking, she had two options that provided the same care.

Blake.

Blake was what made everything different. She was honest, and she was not afraid to try to befriend Yang. At first she had not liked her, but then they both began to understand each other.

Blake was probably just as lonely as she was.

That thought hit Yang like a truck. What if… what if Yang had helped Blake out as well? All this time, Yang had thought that it was Blake who had been helping her, but… what if Blake genuinely needed Yang just as much as Yang needed her?

The thought boggled Yang's brain, and the brawler groaned as she rubbed her temples. Too much thinking. Not enough energy. Yang took another glance at Blake.

'Did she always look that pretty?' Yang looked again.

'Did she always look so comforting and dependable?'

This was starting to sound problematic. Yang wasn't a stranger to these feelings. She wondered when these feelings started to appear, however.

Yang decided to not think about them now. For now…she would only hope that her fever would go down. But even so…

Yang stole another glance at Blake.


	8. Café con leche

**A/N:** Dialogue lines in italics are spoken in Spanish.

* * *

Kali scrutinized the small plastic device for a few seconds as Yang sat on the lid of the toilet. Blake watched in amusement from the doorway as her mother slowly looked from the small numbers to Yang, then back to the numbers. Yang gazed back at Kali with bored eyes, and finally Kali sighed and raised a hand to her forehead, shaking her head slightly.

"Looks like your fever went down. Still, I want you to take it easy. I think you should stay at the house for now."

Kali, Blake, and Yang were currently in the bathroom of Blake's grandmother's guest room. Although Yang had insisted that she had felt better many times before, Kali was still unconvinced and announced that the only way she could be reassured was if Yang's temperature was within a safe range. Meanwhile, Blake tried to hide her laughter behind her hand – and she was doing an excellent job of doing the exact opposite.

Yang sent Blake a glare before standing up, making Kali back away a few steps to allow her room to stretch. They had arrived only about an hour ago and had busied themselves into settling into the small room. It was quite an impressive room, however – it had a full sized bed tucked in the corner, and across from that bed was a twin-sized bed. To make things even better, there was, to Yang's surprise, yet _another_ twin sized bed _underneath_ it. Yang had never seen such a bed before and was fascinated when Blake set it up, pulling it out on small wheels before pressing a lever, which raised the bed to the height of the top one. Blake had laughed when Yang had hesitantly pressed her hand down onto the pull-out bed. She was sure that it was going to just collapse, but the bed was surprisingly strong, despite being foldable and stored underneath its twin for who knows how long.

Also, included in the room was a small television perched on top of a regular-sized refrigerator, and a tall table with two equally tall stools. The decoration in the room was chic, modern, and reminded Yang of those commercials from Rooms To Go. She wondered what kind of grandma Blake's grandmother was. This wasn't how she had expected the guest room to look like. If this was just the guest room, then the rest of the house must have been…

"Girls, I'm going to take a shower now. I'm wiped!" Kali sighed as she flopped onto the full sized bed, making the mattress groan.

Blake wrinkled her nose and pretended to be disgusted.

"Go take a shower, then. Yang and I'll just hang out in the room, maybe go to sleep for a while."

"Thanks for making the decision for me," Yang grumbled.

Kali smiled at the two girls, raising herself up into a sitting position and yawning. "Alright then. Behave," she warned them playfully in a sing-song voice as she stood up to go to her suitcase and gather her shower products. Blonde and ravenette were soon left alone, and for a few minutes, they were silent.

Yang glanced at Blake, who had laid down on one of the twin beds and was now staring up at the ceiling. Yang herself laid down on the other twin bed. The room was quite cold, and honestly Yang wanted nothing more than to take a walk outside and enjoy the warm, Florida morning air. She heard Blake shift, and she found herself looking at Blake's face, which was now five feet away. It was a bit ridiculous to be this far in such a small room.

"Yang," Blake whispered.

Yang's attention was now on the dark haired girl. Warm amber blinked, and Yang felt her breath hitch.

"Come closer. I'm cold."

Ah, it seemed that Yang wasn't the only one shivering. The blonde lumbered off her bed and carefully pushed it so that it now had no gap between the other one. Yang lay down again, and Blake huddled a bit closer to Yang, coming so close that she was practically on Yang's bed at this point. Yang did nothing, only looking off to the side as best as she could as she felt warm puffs of air hit her arm. The room was incredibly quiet. Too quiet for Yang's liking.

"Hey, where is your grandma?" Yang queried, her voice not heeding the rule of silence of the room.

Blake answered back in a hushed voice. "My grandma goes to the restaurant at five every morning to get it up and running. She's already been gone for…two hours, I think. I don't know what time it is."

Yang raised an eyebrow but said nothing, only closing her eyes and letting her mind wander. She wondered what Blake's family was like. The ravenette had said she had an aunt, uncle, and two cousins that lived in Atlas, and that her grandmother and grandfather were "divorced, yet still lived together." That didn't really make much sense, but Yang wasn't going to question it. Yang had never been to Florida before, but she had taken a liking to the climate of Southern Florida. The blonde could tell that most of its days were filled with warmth and fair weather, judging from the healthy palms that were literally everywhere, and the numerous bushes and flowers that grew in front of every suburban home. Yang kind of wished that she lived here. She didn't understand why the Belladonna family left such a nice place. Maybe she could ask another time. But for now, Yang felt her thoughts ebb into fleeting phrases, and then finally into nothingness.

* * *

They had arrived at the restaurant a little bit late in the morning, but as soon as Yang stepped inside the quaint little establishment, her mouth watered at the smell of eggs, beans, chicken, rice, tortillas, and other enticing food items. Her stomach grumbled, and Kali laughed softly as an employee passed by her and called out a greeting in Spanish. Suddenly, a small person flurried out of the employees' only door, and out burst a small, dark haired woman with dazzling golden eyes and well done make up. Yang stared as the small woman screamed, coming to a stop before Kali. Yang was even more boggled when Kali screamed back, and the two women embraced, kissing each other on the cheeks twice and hugging.

"Um, Blakey…"

"That's my grandma. Her name is Isabella." Grandma? That woman hardly looked or acted like a grandma! Her hair was so shiny and black, and her skin was barely wrinkled, save for a few areas around the neck and arms. Her skin was radiant and soft-looking, and carefully applied make up enhanced the woman's almond eyes and full lips.

" _Mija!_ " The woman peeled herself off and turned to embrace Blake, and the same routine involving kisses on both cheeks and hugging was performed. Unfortunately, Yang's Spanish was not developed enough to understand the rapid gunfire spewed out between the three squealing, happy women.

" _My little Blake, it has been such a long time!_ " Isabella nearly shouted as she hugged her daughter and granddaughter as best as she could, her short arms making it hard for her to do so. Kali laughed and wrapped an arm around her mother – who stood a good five inches shorter than her.

" _How's the restaurant and Papa?_ " Kali asked.

Isabella rolled her eyes at the mention of her ex-husband. " _The restaurant is fine. As for him, he's working with that landscaping company, as usual. Ay, pinche cabron sin uso. And Blake, I see you have a new sister!_ "

Blake nodded, glancing at Yang before answering her grandmother. " _She doesn't know a lot of Spanish, so could you help her out a little bit_?" Blake asked.

Isabella laughed, waving her hand off in some direction. " _Of course she doesn't speak Spanish! Ella es gringa, obviamente. Mírala!_ " The three women looked at Yang.

Yang suddenly had the feeling that she was being talked about, and shifted her feet awkwardly. She was still hungry.

" _I think she feels left out._ " Kali said. _"Blake, go bring her over here so she can meet your grandmother. Y Mama,_ " Kali said to her mother, _"Recuerda lo que te dije."_

Isabella nodded in understanding, and Blake broke off from the group and grabbed Yang's hand. Yang picked up the vibe that introductions were needed, and she followed Blake to meet Isabella. Blake's grandma peered up into Yang's eyes, and Yang felt more and more awkward by the minute. She had never really dealt with elderly people before, so she had no idea how she should act, considering Isabella had already proven that she wasn't a stereotypical grandmother. Yang decided to hold her breath and stare right back at Isabella. The short woman continued observing Yang before nodding and smiling, extending a hand to the blonde.

"Ah, you're Yang," Isabella drawled out in a heavy, accented voice. " _Encantada_."

Yang extended her own hand to the elder woman, smiling herself and replying correctly, " _Igualmente._ "

* * *

"You're very beautiful, Yang," Isabella said. Yang ducked her head in acknowledgement. Kali and Blake had left to go serve breakfast for themselves and Yang, so now the blonde was alone with Isabella. Yang still felt a bit awkward, however, and she looked at the petite woman who scrutinized her with golden eyes – so similar to Blake's and Kali's.

"Thank you," Yang responded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, smelling the cool, refreshing air that mixed with savory breakfast foods. Her stomach growled again, and Isabella laughed softly.

"You like _café con leche_?"

Yang knew those nouns were coffee and milk. She didn't drink coffee often, mainly because she didn't like the bitterness, but she simply nodded. Isabella left for a few minutes, and she came back with two light, brown drinks in white Styrofoam cups.

" _Gracias_ ," Yang said as she took a cup, before taking a tentative sip. It was hot, but it was bearable, and it tasted…pretty good, actually. Yang stared at her drink before taking another sip. Smooth, creamy, and sweet. Yang looked at Isabella questioningly. The older woman took a drink from her own cup, and she sighed in content when she released her mouth from the brim of the cup, leaving a light red stain on the Styrofoam.

" _Café cubano_. Cuban coffee. I mix colada and lot of milk and a spoon with sugar," Isabella explained. Yang had no idea what a colada was, but this cup of coffee was delicious.

At that very moment, Blake and Kali emerged from the kitchens, balancing a plate of food on each of their hands. Kali placed a plate of _huevos rancheros_ and refried beans in front of Yang, along with two long, flat pieces of toast. Blake had _pan dulce_ with _café con leche_ , and Kali had a breakfast burrito filled with cheese, refried beans, egg, and _chorizo_. Yang gazed at her plate with such longing, and she felt her mouth water. Wasting no time, she began to dig into her food, slurping down the eggs and crunching on her toast – the toast was Cuban bread, apparently. The food was delicious, and Yang was the first to finish.

"Was it good?" Blake asked, her face showing amusement.

Yang wasn't embarrassed at all, though. "It was, and I want more."

Kali shook her head, smiling at Yang. "Yang, by the end of this trip, you might end up gaining a few pounds. I can assure you that my mother will keep you well fed."

* * *

They said their goodbyes to Isabella and the staff, and Kali decided to get a few more hours of shut-eye as she was still tired. Blake suggested that she and Yang take the car to visit the flea market, and Kali agreed, saying that it would be an interesting experience for Yang. Kali gave them each twenty dollars, and the two were now on their way.

Yang winced when Blake cut in front of a car to make it to the left turning lane. She wasn't the only one making risky driving decisions, however. It seemed that driving recklessly was the only way to get anywhere in this city.

Blake leaned on her horn when a car nearly hit them, and she flipped the bird and yelled out something unintelligible. The person in the other car did the same, and Blake huffed angrily and stepped on the gas.

"Angry much?" Yang asked.

Blake gave Yang a look, then returned her eyes to the road. She made another left and continued down a boulevard, and then she merged onto the right turning lane.

Yang saw a large building, and she realized that Blake was heading there. "Is that the flea market?"

Blake nodded, and she slowed down as she rounded a curve and ended up in a makeshift parking lot, where the parking spots were designated by spray-painted white lines on trampled grass. Blake shifted the car into park and sighed, leaning back into her seat. She looked at Yang with a tired look. "This is one thing about Homestead that I will never miss. The horrible driving and rude people." Blake shut off the car and pulled the key out of the ignition slot, and Yang took that as her cue to unbuckle her seat belt. The two exited the car, and Blake made sure that the doors were locked before she lead the blonde out of the parking lot.

Yang wasn't impressed by the somewhat dingy looking stands, but Blake seemed to have an interest in looking around. She stopped by a stand with a large white tent, where a burly man watched the dark haired girl with sharp eyes. Yang stood beside her as Blake crouched in front of a bin filled with nail polishes. She took out a few colors, tapped one against her palm to mix the settled paint, and she opened it, testing the color out on her pinky nail. She did the same with three other colors before settling on a shimmery pale green and a dark blue-violet.

" _How much are nail polishes_?" Blake asked the man.

" _Two dollars each, three for five dollars,_ " he replied gruffly.

"Pick a color," Blake said suddenly to Yang.

"Me?" Yang asked, pointing at herself for emphasis.

Blake rolled her eyes. "Yes, you. I just want these two. Pick another color so I can save a dollar."

"But you'll only be paying four dollars for two."

Blake gave Yang a look. "But I could save a dollar and get another nail polish."

Yang shrugged and randomly picked a shiny ruby red one, and Blake gave the man her twenty dollar bill and received her change.

They continued to look – well, Blake did – and they stopped a few more times at stands which sold similar goods as the first one Blake stopped at. The ravenette examined a palette of eye shadow, and finally gold had to ask black the question in the back of her mind.

"Why are you buying all this stuff? In fact, why are these people selling stuff from the store?"

Blake didn't answer Yang quite yet, first paying for the palette and placing the item in her sidebag, alongside with her nail polishes and tubes of mascara. "Because," she finally explained, "it's cheaper to get expensive stuff here. Those nail polishes I got earlier are usually ten dollars each."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "How do the sellers get their stuff?"

Blake smiled and continued walking beside Yang. "Most of these sellers aren't here to get rid of junk. They're here to make a living. I don't know how they get their products, but this is just how it's been for years. My mom used to come here to buy things for cheap when she was my age. It's a great way to save money."

Yang could accept that answer, and she said nothing more, only slowing down to look at a stand that sold shaved ice. It was pretty hot outside. Yang waved Blake to stop, and she went to the stand to see the flavors they made.

"Get the pineapple," Blake recommended. "It's the only one I like. The other ones are sugary and don't taste like they're supposed to."

The vendor appeared, and Yang ordered the pineapple one, taking Blake's suggestion.

"You can add toppings and other things if you want. There's fruit, candy, and condensed milk," Blake told Yang.

"Condensed milk?" Yang said in disgust.

Blake nodded her head. "It's actually really good with shaved ice. Try it."

Yang added a spoonful of condensed milk on her shaved ice, paid for it, and as they walked away, Yang scooped some of the ice into her mouth. She let it melt and savored the taste. The condensed milk really did go well with the shaved ice, and the pineapple flavoring was good.

"Why didn't you get one?" Yang asked Blake, the two sitting on a small, unoccupied bench, away from the crowds.

"I can't finish one by myself," was her answer. "Besides, I only have two dollars left. I couldn't afford one."

"I could have paid for the rest," Yang argued, but Blake only shook her head.

"That's your money. I can't take any of it."

Yang grew silent. She could see how much Blake liked the shaved ice here – she was literally staring at the cup in Yang's hands. Yet she wouldn't let Yang pay for her. So…

Yang scooped out a sizeable amount of shaved ice and held the plastic spoon in front of Blake. "Here. Have some. I know you want to." Blake looked as if she were about to argue, but instead seemed to decide to take up Yang's offer. The white spoon entered the ravenette's mouth, and it stayed there for a bit. The bookworm closed her eyes and let out a moan. She pulled the spoon out and gave it back to Yang, but looked longingly at the cup of shaved ice in Yang's hands. Yang chuckled, and to Blake's surprise, Yang gave the cup to Blake, along with the spoon.

"You can have it. You obviously want it more than me. Consider it my treat."

Blake accepted it, and she finished the cup in no time. The spoon made a hollow scraping sound at the bottom of the cup, and Blake drank the remaining liquid inside, using the spoon to scrape any leftovers into her mouth. When Blake was done, Yang smirked at her.

"Was it good?"

Blake swatted Yang's arm lightly, but her expression showed fondness for the blonde. Blake briefly wondered if they could be considered friends by this point. True, sometimes Yang could aggravate her, but most of the time, Blake enjoyed her presence.

So maybe they were friends at this point. But Blake still didn't know much about Yang. Not the shallow things such as her tendency to belch without restraint, or how she was protective of her golden mane of hair, but mainly her past. Yang hadn't exactly opened herself up yet, and Blake hadn't been pushy, but the more time that passed and the more time Blake spent with Yang, the more she wondered about that one person that was always in the back of Yang's mind. Ruby Rose. Blake knew that Yang had somehow been separated from her younger sister, but she didn't know anything more than that. Yang briefly mentioned her father, but she said nothing about her mother.

Blake had a flashback of that time she had found Yang in the woods, and how broken Yang looked as she bowed beneath her. Blake looked at Yang, who hummed to some random tune as she people-watched.

Was it possible that Yang was hiding her feelings again? Blake couldn't tell, and once again she was reminded how little she knew about Yang. There were times when Yang seemed tough and aloof, but there were also those times when Yang would become touched over the smallest of gestures.

Yang was an enigma.

"Hey, Blakey, look at that lady over there. She kinda looks like you, don'tcha think?"

Blake snapped out of her thoughts and looked at a tall black haired woman that passed by. Blake took another look at her. She wore red heels and dark skinny jeans, and she wore a shirt which exposed her back. And her heart-shaped tattoo that was made of two heels. Blake widened her eyes, and she stood up, running after the woman as she yelled out a name.

"Cinder!"

"Cinder?" Yang asked no one as she trotted over to join Blake. The tall woman turned around, and her fiery eyes looked down upon Blake. Blake grinned and gave the woman a big hug.

Yang was so confused.

The dark haired woman – Cinder – reciprocated the hug, and her face morphed into one that showed affection for the shorter girl that hugged her.

"Blake. And…" Cinder looked at Yang, then at Blake again. "Is that blondie your girlfriend?"

Yang stiffened, nearly dropping the empty cup Blake had forgotten at the bench. Blake released Cinder and made introductions.

"Cinder, this is Yang. She's been living with us for a few months. Yang, this is Cinder. She's my…" Blake trailed off, not sure what to call Cinder. Cinder was related to her, but she wasn't quite sure in which way.

"I'm her first cousin," Cinder finished Blake's sentence with an amused expression. "Practically an aunt to her, however. I remember visiting her in the hospital after Kali gave birth to her. She was hairy and red-faced, and I remember Mom said that she hoped you wouldn't grow up to be ugl-"

"Okay, Cinders, that's enough," Blake interrupted her, warning clearly evident in her tone. "What are you doing here in Florida, though? I thought you were in Mistral."

Cinder raised her hands to her sides, shrugging. "Mom said that Dad wasn't ignoring me anymore, and that he wanted to talk to me or something. I also wanted to visit my step-siblings and see how everyone was doing back home."

"Hold on, Blakey," Yang said, pausing their conversation. "I thought you said you had a cousin in middle school and a cousin in high school, and that…I'm confused right now."

Cinder made an 'o' shape with her mouth, realizing how little Yang knew about Blake's family.

"Okay, so Blake only has one aunt and uncle, which are my mom and her husband. My mom and my biological dad had divorced when I was only two years old, and I lived with my dad. My mom had two kids with her husband, and my dad disowned me when I was in high school," Cinder tried to explain. "It's kind of complicated, but the point is that I'm not really…considered family, and I actually prefer it that way."

Yang gave Blake a look. Blake sighed and shook her head. "It's ridiculous, all of it. I can elaborate later on."

The topic was dropped, and a new topic was made.

"Where's Kali and Ghira?" Cinder asked as the three of them walked towards the parking lots.

"Mom's at Abuelita's house, and Dad stayed home to take care of the animals. We just arrived today."

Cinder prodded Blake's side, eliciting a yelp from the shorter girl. "I see you have your driver's license then. Congratulations."

Blake tickled Cinder's side and leaned onto her arm. "Thank you. How's Winter?"

"Oh, she's doing fabulous. Weiss actually came down to Florida with me since she has no friends, but I got Neptune and Coco to take her out for ice cream."

"I haven't see Neptune and Coco for years! And I haven't seen Weiss ever since we were ten! How are they all doing?"

"They're doing fine. You should go and see for yourself though."

Once again, Yang felt third-wheeled. She glared at the back of Cinder's head, feeling a bit frustrated. She shouldn't have pointed her out. Now she felt like she was tagging along.

"Have you talked with Sun yet? I hear he's still working at Tukson's Car Wash."

Blake grew quiet. Yang felt the heavy lull in conversation, and she looked at Blake with concern. Blake's good mood seemed to deflate like a balloon. "No, I haven't. I haven't seen him in a couple of years, actually."

Cinder looked at Blake, biting her lip a little. "He's doing well. I heard from Neptune that he still hasn't gotten a girlfriend, though."

Blake felt her stomach twist painfully, and Yang become more concerned.

"I… see. Maybe I'll visit him then."

Blake looked guilty.


	9. Wishful thinking

Blake waited for her iPhone to connect, and she smiled when she saw Sun grin lazily at her.

"Hey Blake. Nice bra." Blake stuck her tongue out playfully and laid down on her bed, angling the phone to capture her face and headboard of the bed.

"Nice abs," she replied. "What are you doing today anyway?"

"I'm looking at your cleavage. Just kidding. I'm going out with Neptune, Sage and Scarlet later to go see Suicide Squad. It's gonna be lit."

"Harley Quinn is sexy," Blake said. Sun nodded.

"Harley Quinn is bae," he confirmed. "What are you doing today? Going to the mall with Nora and Pyrrha?" Blake readjusted her bra strap after it began to slide off, and she brushed her bangs out of her eyes before looking at her screen again.

"I'm going over to Velvet's house again, and then my parents and I are going to go pick up some wood at the lumber yard. My dad wants to get a pig, and he wants to build a house for it."

"And then he huffed, and puffed, and blew the house in!" Sun joked, referencing the tale of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. Blake rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity Sun spouted out. After the two shared a laugh, Blake saw Sun smile at her with such warmth in his friendly, cobalt eyes. Blake smiled back, and her guilt panged through her heart again.

Blake and Sun were quite comfortable with each other – to the point where most people thought that they were an item. Blake was currently FaceTiming Sun in the morning, and she was only wearing a simple black bra and a pair of pajama shorts. It was normal for the two to show skin to each other. How their friendship escalated to this point, Blake honestly couldn't remember, but she was happy to have someone to confide in about her little secret.

"Blake, I wish I could see you more often. You're beautiful."

Ah, there it was.

Blake still smiled at the blonde, her expression lying to the boy on the other side of the screen.

"I'll see you when my family goes down to Florida. We'll have ice cream at the Michu-Kan, alright?"

"Is that a date, then?"

Sun liked Blake. Blake… liked Sun, but not quite in the way Sun wanted. And he knew that Blake didn't feel the same, but he knew not to push the topic. The two still flirted with each other playfully, however, and they made sure to keep in touch.

Blake was 16 and Sun was 18. Blake liked girls, and so did Sun. There was no way the two of them could ever work out. That's what Blake tried to believe, anyways. It was just impossible for her to like him. Blake didn't like guys for several reasons, some of which she wasn't quite sure of, but she knew for a fact that she only liked Sun as a friend. However… she did like the attention that Sun gave her, and that made her indulge in his flirting game. She knew that he was head-over-heels in love with her, yet she didn't try to separate herself from her best guy friend.

Blake was too selfish to let him go, and it made her feel so guilty. Sun was a great guy cursed with the bad luck of falling for gay girls. Blake felt bad, and she thought that she could entertain him, but…

She was a terrible person for playing with his feelings, no matter how good her intentions were.

* * *

 _Sun: What do you mean, I'm better off without you?_

Blake bit her lip lightly as she typed out a response. She texted him late at night and dropped such a large bomb on Sun that he didn't quite seem to believe what she had said.

 _Blake: Listen, you're going places, Sun. You've graduated, you're going to go to college, you're going to make new friends and meet new girls. You and I could never work out, and all I'm doing is hurting you. So… I think the reason I haven't had the urge to talk to you is because I don't want to talk to you._

Ah, there it was.

It took nearly half an hour for Sun to reply to her. Blake wasn't surprised when she received several large paragraphs of yelling, hurt, and questions. But there were a few sentences that made her turn away from her phone.

 _I know that we could never work out, but don't just cut me off!_

 _I thought we were friends, Blake._

 _I will always have time for you. Why are you doing this?_

 _I'm going to bed. Good night._

Sun didn't text any more than that. And maybe that was for the best.

Blake stared at that last sentence he wrote to her, and she deleted all of their messages. It was better to not give her any more regret than she felt now.

But still, she kept his number in her contacts. That was one of the things that she wasn't able to do: completely erase him from her life. Although it would have been better to cut him off fully, he was an important part of her life. But that was in the past, and now she had to look towards the future.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid me.' Blake thought as she locked her phone and tucked the device underneath her pillow, feeling the hard edges through her fluffy pillow. All she wanted now was to sleep and live a peaceful life. Velvet was off doing her own thing, and Blake was fine with that… mostly anyways. She still had Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren to talk to at school. She was living in a nice house, and she had Internet, her anime, and her gaming systems. School work wasn't a problem, and she was on honor roll. She was generally well-liked despite her introverted nature, and she had no real enemies. Sometimes she had small crushes (that mint-haired girl at Dairy Queen was pretty and attractive). No one needed to know her preferences anyhow.

But with comfort came uncertainty, and Blake continued to berate herself, day by day, each day becoming less painful than the one before, until she all but forgot about Sun.

Almost.

* * *

Blake squeezed her eyes shut as her body shuddered. The pulsing sensation made her gasp, and soon her breathing calmed. She cracked open an eye and remembered that she was still in the shower, and that her body was beginning to cool. She looked at her hand, bit her lip, and pushed herself off the wall and continued to wash her body. After she finished scrubbing all over, she dropped the shower poof and watched the remaining soap slide off her body and onto the floor. Tiny rivers of water flowed from the tips of her hair and down her stomach, onto her legs, and over her feet. The heat of the water was beginning to dull, meaning Blake had been in there for a while at this point. The ravenette sighed and sank down to the textured floor of the walk-in shower, and she felt the simulated stone tile dig into her skin. She ran her hands over the smooth, fake pebbles, then turned her head to look at the glass door. Her face reflected on the see-through glass, she could see that same shiny black hair, those same golden eyes, and everything else that she had grown accustomed to seeing.

Her body was the same body she has lived in all her life, but it was not the same body she was born with.

'17 years can pass by in a flash, and I can hardly remember most of it. Why can't I just choose what to remember and to forget?' Blake mused to herself as she began to trace lines in the droplets on the door. But nothing answered her, and Blake was starting to get prune fingers, so she stood up to turn off the water and exit the shower.

The things she wanted to forget most were almost never forgotten. Her regrets, her mistakes, her failures. They often came back to haunt her years later. But the things that she chose to forget, yet remember at the same time, were the things that she hid in the back of her mind and took out occasionally for memory's sake. But once she had to confront something…

Blake groaned to herself as she began to towel-dry her hair. She really didn't want to go see how Sun was doing. However, Cinder was urging her to check up on him, and now she was taking measures to – what? Was she trying to impress him with her looks? Why was she trying to look presentable?

A soft knocking at the door made Blake jump.

"Blakey, you're taking a really long time in there. Are you taking a shit?" It was just Yang. Blake relaxed and pulled on a cold shoulder top (they were currently in fashion and Blake had taken a liking to them recently), then she opened the door to find lilac.

Blake held her breath – for whatever reason, she didn't know. Yang wordlessly stared back at her, and the golden haired girl wrapped Blake into a large, much needed hug. Blake tentatively reciprocated the hug, slipping her arms around Yang's waist and across the blonde's shoulder blades. She could feel Yang's body heat through her clothes and how warm the brawler was, and she could feel her light, curly hair brush against Blake's hands. The two stayed like that for a long time, and it was Blake who broke the hug to gaze fondly at her friend. Friend…

"Blake, I just want you to know that you need to do whatever you need to do. I don't know what your deal is with this Sun guy, why you're so close to that Cinder chick, or the whole deal with your family, but just know that I know how hard it is to confront something. If Sun did something to you-"

"He wasn't the one who did something. I hurt him, Yang." Blake cut in, her words low and trembling. Yang blinked, her expression morphing into confusion, then realization, then understanding. Yang reached out and placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, and Blake saw the taller girl smile encouragingly.

"Hey, I've made mistakes too. But you know what? I confronted them. It was hell to do it, but once I did, I felt a thousand times more lighter, and I could finally move on to the future." Yang laughed softly to herself and scratched the back of her head after she said that sentence.

"I say that, but I don't actually think I did move to the future. Ruby…" the blonde paused, and she moved on to say something else.

"I'll be here if you need me afterwards. I can't even drive, so yeah." Yang said to finish up her pep talk.

Blake grinned, feeling much better and more ready for the task coming up ahead. She lightly jabbed at Yang and laughed when the blonde pretended to smack her in the face. They continued their play fight until it died out, and when they finally finished their last round of laughs, Blake knew just what she had to do.

"Yang, come with me." All seriousness now.

"You're strong. You can do this." Yang looked at Blake and held up a hand. Blake looked at it and slowly laced her fingers together with Yang's. The calloused, rough hands never felt more comforting in her entire life. Blake flicked her eyes down to their joined hands, and she smiled to herself.

"Alright then. I'll be back in… an hour should do it. If I come home later, you and Mom can head to Abuela's restaurant for lunch without me. If everything goes well…" Blake mindlessly took out her fingers and took Yang's hand, lightly rubbing circles on the palm with her thumb. They were calloused hands, but they were strong hands that told such a story without words.

"I'll take you out somewhere fun," Blake finished her own sentence. A promise was made. An exchange of confirmation. A pat on the shoulder. A closed door.

Yang decided to take a small nap and wait for Blake. There was nothing else to do except to believe in Blake.

A few minutes later, Kali entered the room, barely batting an eye at the sight of Yang clutching a pillow. The older woman sat on a chair across from Yang's bed, and the two said nothing for a moment. Then:

"Yang, did Blake go to see someone?" Yang nodded her head.

"She went to go see Sun. Do you know him?" Kali nodded yes.

"He used to go to Blake's school when they were in middle school. I always liked him, but Ghira didn't seem to." Kali chuckled and shook her head. "He thought that he was going to up and take our baby away. Ghira can be so ridiculous sometimes." Kali leaned over and placed her elbows on her thighs, resting her chin on her intertwined fingers. She looked at Yang for a few minutes before sighing, closing her eyes. Yang watched Kali and she finally got up from the bed into a sitting position.

"I know Blake is different. Isn't she, Yang?" Yang knew better than to play dumb. It seemed that Kali already knew the answer.

"Yeah, she is." Kali gazed at Yang with lidded eyes, her expression grim.

"Thank you. I needed to know that. Now I need to have a serious talk with Blake."

The words didn't sink into Yang's head for a few seconds. The blonde narrowed her eyes slightly, her eyes practically blazing.

"Are you homophobic?"

"No," Kali immediately denied. "I'm not homophobic. But there are a few people in our family who are not entirely open to the idea of it, and I need to tell Blake a few things about our family, just in case."

"What sort of things?" Yang asked, her gaze hardening and her mood souring. Kali looked at Yang.

"I'm sorry Yang, but I don't feel as if I should tell you any of this. This is something you wouldn't understand about our family. I'm not saying that you're not like a part of the family, but…" But you're not one of us.

Yang could piece together what Kali was trying to say easily, and Kali seemed to know that Yang understood. The short haired woman bit her lip – Yang realized that Blake, Kali and Cinder seemed to share that same habit – and Kali opened her mouth as to speak, then shook her head lightly as if she were trying to talk herself out of something. Yang was slightly annoyed at this point over Kali's unwillingness to share information, but there was no use sulking over it.

"Can you just tell me about your sister then? And her kids?" Kali was relieved for a change in direction, and she eagerly began talking about her sister, brother-in-law, and their two children.

"I have a twin sister named Ebony, and I'm the older one. We're fraternal twins, so we don't look alike that much. She inherited her darker skin and brown eyes from my father while I took after my mother. Ebony has a daughter and son who are in high school and middle school, and Oscar looks just like her husband. Blake used to hate him when he was younger, but they seem to get along now. Ruby is their adopted daughter, and she's a little… different, I suppose. Charming, but her personality is a bit iffy. Ruby doesn't have many friends."

"Ruby?" Yang echoed back at Kali. Kali looked at Yang in confusion.

"You said there's a high school girl named Ruby that your sister adopted…" Yang realized she was being ridiculous. There was absolutely no way.

"They adopted her a few years ago after she and her ex-husband divorced. I think Ebony had a hard time after losing her only daughter to a man who wouldn't let her see her, and she was just crushed. So she managed to convince her current husband to adopt a girl. But now that Cinder…" Kali stopped herself and looked at Yang. The blonde's bangs covered her eyes a bit, and a shadow darkened her gaze.

"What is your sister's last name?"

"Yang, is something wron-"

"Just answer the goddamn question." Kali frowned. Yang hardly ever cursed in her presence. Something was up.

"Her last name is Pines."

Yang didn't know what to feel at that moment. Should she feel hopeful? Relieved? Anxious?

Happy?

Flashbacks of Roman whispering into Yang's ear came back and hit her hard.

Yang swallowed, and although she told herself to calm down, she felt her heart speed up, ever so hopeful, excited, wishful.

"Can I meet this Ruby?"


	10. 36D

**A/N:** Dialogue lines in italics are spoken in Spanish.

* * *

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" the snow haired girl said, shaking her head before taking a sip of her mango smoothie. Blake winced at Weiss' sharp words.

"Now now, my dear little Weiss, don't be so hard on her." Cinder's smooth and sultry voice said as the fiery eyed woman smiled. "You haven't seen Blake in years. Try to be more friendly."

"I am friendly!" Weiss protested.

"Uh, no you're not. You're an ice queen just like your sister." Weiss swatted Neptune and Blake laughed light-heartedly.

"What did I miss?" Coco said as she sat down at the table to join the four friends.

"Nothing important." Weiss replied.

"She doesn't believe that she's as cold as ice, even to her friends." Neptune said.

"That is true," Coco agreed, and she lifted up her glasses so that they now rested on top of her head. "Hey Blake. Long time no see."

"Hey Coco," Blake warmly greeted her old friend. "How have you been?"

Coco rolled her eyes and pretended to appear wiped out. "College sucks. I should have never signed up for morning classes this semester. I made sure to sign up for afternoon and evening classes for the spring semester. Never making that mistake again."

"She's basically a ghost now!" Neptune called out. "Barely has time to hang out with the old gang!"

"Excuse me, prissy boy, but I am earning my degree so my parents can get off my back," Coco retorted, her words biting. The brunette slurped a bit of her milkshake before finishing her statement. "I plan on going to FIT after I finish my bachelor's, and my parents can't tell me otherwise. I want to study fashion."

"And I say go for it," Cinder replied, placing a hand over Coco's encouragingly. "You certainly have the skills. Remember that prom dress you made for your junior year?"

"It was beautiful." Weiss said.

"It was amazing," Blake said, "I could tell from the pictures the amount of attention you paid to details. It's no wonder you were homecoming queen for two years in a row." Coco sighed dreamily and sank her head into her arms.

"I really want to design wedding dresses, but I have this stupid biology class that's kicking my ass~" she whined.

"It will get better," Cinder promised. "Now Blake, when is Sun supposed to arrive?" Two pairs of eyes curiously looked at the golden eyed girl, one more questioning than the other.

"You're talking to Sun again?" Neptune asked, clearly baffled. "I thought you two weren't on speaking terms." Blake smiled sheepishly and raised her shoulders slightly, then let them fall, her expression becoming somber.

"I want to make amends. We were such great friends, and then I… well, I-"

"You messed it up." Weiss finished her sentence, although her words were more empathetic than accusing. "But that's alright. You've got a good head on your shoulders. You can fix it, or at least settle things between you two." Weiss smiled at her, and warmth shone from her icy blue eyes.

"Aw, you two are so cute~" Neptune teased, causing Coco to join his laughter. Weiss' expression contorted to one of offense, which made Neptune and Coco roar with laughter.

"Um, guys, I'm gay." Blake said quietly. Neptune and Coco's laughter quieted into chuckles, then to goofy grins. Then they pulled themselves together to pay attention to Blake. Coco tilted her head questioningly. Blake looked at Cinder, who shrugged her shoulders and gestured for Blake to say it again.

"I'm gay."

"Okay," Coco responded.

"What." Neptune said. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not…" Blake replied, her voice becoming meek towards the end of her sentence. Weiss looked at Neptune, then at Blake.

"Are you sure you are? Cinder, do you know anything about this?"

"I did. And I kept my lips locked." Cinder said. "Neptune, please close your mouth. You'll catch flies." Neptune shut his slightly parted mouth and shook his head slowly.

"Um… wow. I didn't expect that. Um, how long did you know?" Blake shifted her legs underneath the table uncomfortably.

"Do you guys remember my best friend?"

"Her name was Velvet, right?" Coco said. The brunette raised an eyebrow at Blake. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, she's just a friend," Blake immediately denied. "But I… really, really liked her, and I always passed it off as admiration for a good friend." Blake smiled at her lap, thinking of a younger Velvet from an earlier time.

"Cinder actually helped me realize I liked girls, although I denied it for a while. But later on I told Velvet about it and she still accepted me. I told Sun too."

"And it took you this long to tell us?" Cinder gave Weiss a sharp look, which the snow haired girl ignored as she continued. "Why did it take you so long, Blakey?" Weiss clearly sounded hurt, and Blake set herself to correct Weiss' train of thoughts.

"It's not that I didn't trust you guys, it's just that I was afraid, that's all. Like, I know you guys are really cool, but sometimes you would make gay jokes, and… I don't know," Blake said, hanging her head in defeat and shame.

"But… we know that Cinder is gay too, so… I just don't understa-"

"Coming out is a very difficult choice, Weiss." Cinder interrupted her. "Regardless of who it is, it's very easy to be influenced by others' stories of coming out. You know very well from experience that sometimes… stereotypes and judgment will cause families to disown their own children if they're gay." Cinder lowered her eyes and her eyes softened. "You know very damn well."

Before Neptune could make a stupid joke to try to liven up the dampened atmosphere, a small ching-a-ling caused Blake to look at the front door. Sun looked at the group, one by one, and when his gaze landed on Blake, Blake could see past pain reflected in his eyes. Still, he came to their table and greeted everyone. After some awkward small talk, Coco stood up and said her goodbyes, claiming she had a date with Fox, then left. Cinder took Neptune and Weiss away to another table on the opposite side of the room to provide the two former friends with privacy. Blake immediately felt anxious, but then she remembered what Yang told her as they joined their hands together.

'I'm strong. I can do this,' she reminded herself as Sun sat in a chair across from her. 'I can do this.'

Blake smiled, and Sun smiled lightly back. Then Blake began.

* * *

When Blake arrived at the house, there was no one there to greet her. She wasn't so concerned about that; after all, she did say that it was fine for her mom and Yang to head over to Abuelita's restaurant without her for lunch. As she had already eaten at the Michu-Kan for lunch (if a popsicle and a fruit kebab could be considered lunch) Blake decided to watch some TV. There wasn't much on; it was the middle of the day and there weren't many channels. Blake finally settled on a rerun of a telenovela that had aired a few years ago, and she watched the dramatic TV show with much amusement. She always thought that Mexican soap operas were funny, mainly because of how ridiculous they were. Overly mean girls, thieving housekeepers, cheating husbands and Mary Sues were common character types. Though, she did suppose there could be some truth to these shows. There were overly mean girls in real life, and there were cheating husbands.

Blake heard the front door open, and she shouted out a greeting in English, thinking it was her mother and Yang.

" _Soy mexicano_!" a gruff voice answered her. Blake lowered the volume and her grandfather entered the living room. Bald with a short graying beard and warm brown eyes, and several shades darker in skin tone than his wife, was Xavier Medina.

Blake hugged her grandfather briefly and made small talk with him. Although Xavier and Isabella lived under the same room, they didn't get along well. The only reason they stayed together was because they shared the house that they had worked so hard to improve - Isabella providing the funds from her restaurant, and Xavier installing whatever they had wanted to add to the house. They were both too stubborn to let go of their home and settled for being neighbors… in their own home. Needless to say, arguments were common around the holidays, and Blake knew this well. But for now, she enjoyed her grandfather's company, even if her grandfather wasn't exactly the chattiest person.

" _You want ice cream_?" Xavier asked as he opened the freezer and took out a tub of neapolitan ice cream.

" _No thanks_ ," Blake said. " _I already ate a popsicle at the Michu-Kan_." Xavier gave his granddaughter a look and an amused smile.

" _Now, I know my granddaughter has loved ice cream ever since she was just a baby. Why are you holding yourself back_?" Blake thought about trying to contradict her grandfather, say that she really wasn't enthusiastic about frozen treats… but truthfully, she was holding herself back. She did love ice cream and popsicles. Xavier served two large bowls of ice cream for himself and Blake, and the two ate their ice cream at the sofa as they watched the novela together.

" _I knew it! That girl is stupid. Now look at the mess she made_." Xavier shook his head and put a large spoonful of chocolate and vanilla in his mouth. Blake silently agreed and watched the teenage girl try to explain why she sent nudes to a stranger online. It really was stupid. The girl had only met that person the day before and she was already sending nudes. Ridiculous.

The room became darker and darker, and soon the glow of the TV as the show ended alerted the two of something.

" _Where is your useless grandmother? She should have come home around 4_." Xavier said, his gravelly voice clearly showing disapproval. Blake passed her ice cream bowl to her grandfather, and Xavier carried them over to the kitchen and put them in the sink. The ravenette was also a bit concerned. Her grandmother never really stayed out this late, and she had no idea where her mom and Yang were. Blake checked her phone. No messages. Strange. Blake decided to text her mom just in case.

 _Blake: Mom where are you and Abuelita?_

No response. Well, Blake wasn't too worried just yet. They probably just got stuck in traffic.

Her grandfather went to go take a shower, and Blake checked her phone again. Nothing. Blake called her mom's cell and only got her voicemail. Blake called her grandmother as well. Not even a voicemail. It was already eight.

Xavier came to say goodnight to his granddaughter (he went to sleep early and woke up early), and Blake was full on worried at this point. But what was there for her to do? She already called and texted. Blake briefly considered having her parents get Yang a phone before a faint vibrating buzzed in her pocket. Blake checked the message.

 _Mom: Sorry sweetie! My mom didn't seem to approve of Yang's wardrobe, so we went shopping at the mall after the restaurant closed. We'll be home in a few._

Well, at least Blake's mind was put at ease. Blake went to go take a shower and get ready for bed. When she got out of the shower, she saw her mom struggling to get through the door with several shopping bags in her hands.

"Mom, what is this!?" Kali looked up at her daughter helplessly.

"Blake, you know your grandmother. She has more money than she knows what to do with. Now please help me." Blake stared at the bags, and Kali noticed.

"There's more in the car. I honestly don't know how we're going to fit this in the car on the way back home." Blake said nothing, only going to help unload the car. Forever21, Aeropostle, Charlotte Russe, Macy's, Shoe Carnival, and… Victoria's Secret. Blake blinked at the last bag for a second. Victoria's Secret.

Blake couldn't help but take a tiny peek inside the bag.

"Hey Blakey-"

"Holy shit!" Blake nearly screamed as she dropped the bag and whirled around to see Yang before her. Yang laughed at how red-faced Blake became in just a span of a few seconds.

"Yang. Please don't sneak up on me like that." Yang raised an eyebrow at the bag that had fallen to Blake's feet.

"Ah, you were trying to look at my bras. Don't even try to deny it." Blake couldn't deny it and she hung her head in shame.

"Sorry to break it to you, but those are your mom's. Mine are inside already."

"... oh. Okay." Blake looked at the bag again, and she felt her cheeks burn. Why she wanted to see Yang's bras, she couldn't really give a good explanation. Well, her only explanation would be that she just wanted to see them. There wasn't anything more to it than that.

Blake could hear Yang chuckle quietly.

"36D." Blake raised her head and tilted her head, confused. Yang repeated what she said.

"36D. That's my size, if you were wondering." Yang picked up a few bags and sauntered away while calling out, "And my panties are medium." The blonde entered the house, and Blake found herself gazing after Yang.

'Well I'll be damned,' Blake thought to herself, replaying that thought in her head while smiling to herself and shaking her head. She picked up the rest of the bags and managed to close the back door of the car, and she went inside to join her mother and Yang. Her mother was in the shower already, leaving Blake and Yang to work on removing tags and organize the clothes.

Blake held up a skirt and looked at Yang, and the blonde held up a crop top in response.

"Are you actually going to wear these clothes?" Blake queried. "They're not… really your style." Yang shrugged.

"I can be a fucking sparkly, pretty girl too. Plus, I really like skirts. My legs feel free when I walk in them. And I can show off my abs in this crop top." Yang had… abs? Blake's eyes landed over the shirt that covered Yang's abdomen and wondered how they looked. Were they deeply chiseled or softly muscled? Did she have a six pack? Would Yang let her see-

"How did it go with Sun?"

Crap, she almost forgot to tell Yang about that.

"It went well. At first we were kind of awkward, but then we started talking. We argued a little, but we came to an understanding."

"And you became best friends again?" Blake shook her head.

"We decided that what happened, happened. We can't start over, but we can take the time to catch up with each other and slowly ease into becoming more comfortable with each other." Blake began folding a shirt as she remembered what happened.

"We both cried a lot. Sun is pretty emotional, so he was a bigger mess than I was."

"That's good. Crying is good sometimes, I guess," Yang said as she began to take her shirt off. Blake stared at the motion, mesmerized, until the shirt was completely off.

"Um. Wow."

"You're staring, Blakey. Find something you like?" Yang teased as she put on a white crop top that exposed her shoulders.

Blake, for the life of her, couldn't seem to find any words to say.

'She's hot. She's really hot. Oh my fucking god Yang is hot. Why is she attractive. Why am I still staring. I like her, don't I. Yeah, I don't think you stare at your friend's abs and boobs that much and get embarrassed. Shit. Shit shit shit. Why am I not saying anything.'

Yang knew that she was having such an effect on Blake and proceeded to yawn… stretching her arms and making her abdomen flex while making her breasts more noticeable.

'Oh shit I'm gay.'

Yang laughed softly at the ravenette's dumbfounded expression.

"It seems you did find something you like." Yang grinned at Blake, and her lilac eyes showed mirth and affection for the dark haired girl. Then they darkened slightly.

"Blake… your mom told me that you have a cousin named Ruby. Ruby Pines." Blake snapped out of it and managed to respond.

"Oh, yeah. Little old Ruby. I almost forgot about her." Then Blake realized the connection Yang was trying to make, and she began to feel sorry for what she was going to have to do.

"Yang, she's not Ruby. She's not your Ruby. I mean, she doesn't even look like you-"

"Blake. Please, hear me out." Yang's eyes were pleading, and Blake almost wanted to believe with all her heart that Yang's assumption was right. But it was just too good to be true.

"Okay, so the real reason why I almost went to jail was because I was paid to go beat up someone. Some guy named Roman had information about Ruby and it was the only lead I had. He knew about my mom and he said if I did the job right, I would get more information about both her and Ruby. I don't really give two fucks about my mom, but Ruby… If I could just get a good lead on where to find her…" Yang's voice faded, and Blake placed a hand on Yang's shoulder. Yang was opening up to her, and she was going to give Yang her full attention… even if she didn't quite believe the things Yang was spouting.

Yang took a few moments to compose her thoughts, and she began speaking again.

"Roman told me that my biological mom, Raven Branwen, knew where Ruby was. He said that Ruby was adopted by the Pines family in Florida. I knew Ruby was in Florida, but Roman told me that he actually knew the city she lived in. She lives in Naples, Blake." Blake grew quiet, taking this in.

"And don't your cousins live in Naples?"

As much as Blake wanted to believe, as much as she wished that this was all true, it just couldn't be true. Blake didn't know how to handle this situation; after all, Yang was convinced that after all these years, after drifting aimlessly for so long, she had finally discovered the whereabouts of her long-lost sister. There wasn't any good in fueling Yang's fire with hopes. Yang needed to know, even though the truth was horribly depressing, that Blake's cousin Ruby was not Ruby.

"Yang, do you know what day it is tomorrow?" Blake asked softly.

"Christmas. I nearly forgot about it too. It doesn't even feel like it down here, since it's so warm and nice." Blake closed her eyes and breathed, then opened her eyes. She hated this; she really did.

"My aunt and uncle are coming here to celebrate Christmas with us. So are my cousins. And a few of my old friends as well. Cinder will be here too." Blake glanced up at Yang, and it broke her heart to see how hopeful it looked.

'You can see for yourself,' Blake wanted to say. But she didn't. She only wondered, as she saw Yang begin to shout in excitement, how she was going to pick up the pieces after Yang would be completely shattered.


	11. Mashed potatoes

**A/N:** This is an AU chapter, simply for amusement purposes, and should not be correlated to the main plot of this fanfiction at all.

* * *

It was yet another one of those oddly warm days in December. It seemed that the residents of Menagerie had stirred themselves out of hibernation and were drawn to the fluffy white clouds and blue skies of the outdoors. Kali and Ghira had decided to take advantage of this wonderful day to go on a bike ride with several of Ghira's motorcycle friends. However, Kali had made sure that Blake and Yang would have something to do while they were gone.

Yang pushed Blake in a shopping cart around Food Lion as the ravenette read off from a list of items that Kali had gave them.

"Head over to the produce section so we can get tomatoes." Blake said.

"Got it." Yang responded as she precariously rounded a curve that made Blake lean onto the right side of the cart.

"Watch it! You nearly ran over that old lady." Blake protested. Yang grinned and broke into a run, and she sharply stopped the shopping cart in front of the tomatoes, much to Blake's disgruntlement.

"Get four tomatoes." Blake grumbled as she rubbed her right shoulder, and Yang laughed as she reached up for a bag and opened it. The blonde picked out four plump yet firm tomatoes and dropped them into the small plastic bag. She twisted the top of the bag into a knot and plopped it inside the cart with Blake.

"Hey Blakey," Yang said as she began moving her cart again, "what else do we need?"

"We still need to get milk, lemons, Sazón, tostadas, Panko, and orange juice." Blake said as Yang slowed her shopping cart in front of a large stand of potatoes. Blake's expression became puzzled as the blonde seemed to enter deep thought.

"$1.99 for five pounds." Yang read and pointed at the small sign in front of the stand. She looked at Blake expectantly.

"What are you looking at me for?" Blake asked.

"Potatoes." Yang replied, her expression serious yet betraying excitement at the same time.

"And what about them?" Blake queried. "Sure, they're a great deal, but we don't really eat potatoes that often." Blake nervously watched Yang's expression transition to one of hurt and disappointment.

"But Blake! Think of all the possibilities of the great potato! There's baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, scalloped potatoes, even potato pancakes! Potatoes are an awesome food!"

"Um, I don't know Yang…"

"Can we please buy some potatoes? Pwetty pwease?" Yang pleaded, looking up at Blake with soulful lilac eyes, her face somehow innocent and vulnerable. Blake struggled with herself, knowing fully well that Yang was just putting up an act. But they were just potatoes, after all. How hard was it to make a dish with potatoes? Besides, potatoes were pretty good. Kali's coworker often made too much potato salad, and it was delicious. But at the same time Blake didn't want to buy anything more than necessary. However, at the same time, she was taught to take advantage of a good deal as long as it benefited her.

Blake stole another glance at Yang's pretty face and determined that the situation benefited her.

"Awesome!" Yang cheered as she placed a sack of potatoes into the child seat of the cart. "Potatoes!"

They scoured the rest of the grocery store to finish up the list, and thanks to Blake's sharp eyes and Yang's reckless driving, they managed to find a short line before other customers began to line up.

"I really hope that you don't plan on getting a license anytime soon." Blake said. "You scare me with just a shopping cart."

"Aw, babe, I didn't mean to scare you~" Yang teased as she put the gallon of milk onto the conveyor belt. Blake crouched up and lifted her arms, and Yang lifted the ravenette and lowered her to the ground.

"You two are cute," the cashier said suddenly. Both Blake and Yang blinked in surprise, and the boy chuckled at their expression.

"Sorry, I just happened to observe while I was entering the weight of the potatoes. Are you two a couple?"

"N-No!" Blake responded quickly, shaking her head frantically.

"We're just friends. Best friends," Yang added while giving Blake a platonic wink. Blake felt heat rise to her cheeks and she looked away from the blonde.

The boy gave them both a look.

"Uh-huh. Okay. I think we can all agree that you're both gay for each other." The rest of the line behind Blake and Yang murmured in agreement, nodding their heads. Blake and Yang looked at each other in confusion, and Blake turned to the cashier.

"Um, I am not gay for Yang. I mean, look at her! She's absolutely gorgeous and way too womanly to bend down to my level. Not that I'm gay or anything, but-"

"What Blake means," Yang cut in, "is that I am not worthy of Blake, and that I might have a few things that cause me to think that, such as my low education level, my past history with the law, and-"

"Shut up and just kiss already!" someone in the back of the line shouted. Blake felt her cheeks flush, and Yang grabbed Blake and hugged her closely to her chest as she fished out a wallet from Blake's back pocket and paid for the items.

"You bastards better fuck off! No one pressures my Blakey to do anything!" The cashier handed Yang the change, and Yang slipped it into the wallet and handed the wallet back to Blake. Blake took it and returned the wallet into her back pocket. Still hugging Blake closely with one arm, Yang began to place the bags of groceries inside the cart.

"Gayyyyyyyy!" the cashier yelled at the top of his lungs, causing the rest of the lines on the aisles to join his shouting.

"Let's get out of here Yang," Blake whispered with horrified golden eyes at the mob the two of them created (somehow for no good reason).

"Agreed," Yang replied, throwing Blake over her shoulder and pushing the shopping cart out the the automatic sliding doors and back to the car.

* * *

After that strange episode at Food Lion, Blake and Yang arrived back at the house safely. Yang began to whine about potatoes once again (Blake had no idea why Yang was so fascinated about the vegetable) and so Blake began to boil a pot of water.

"Oh no," Blake warned as soon as Yang began to slink out of the kitchen, "You are not going to sneak away to play some of my video games. You wanted potatoes, you help cook potatoes. I got the water ready for you, but ultimately it's up to you to use it."

Yang looked devastated and tried to get out of doing the hard work herself.

"Neon needs a bath, don't you think?" Yang said as she held up the russet-furred cat. Neon looked up at Blake with half-lidded green eyes and yawned loudly. Blake stared at Yang until the blonde lowered the cat down to the floor and let her go. Yang began to feel uncomfortable as those amber irises continued to beat down upon her. Finally, Yang sighed and gave up, going to the kitchen sink to wash her hands. Blake blinked and nodded, satisfied, and she pulled out a frying pan and placed it upon the stove and turned on the burner. Yang opened the sack of potatoes and took out a potato, weighing it in her hand experimentally, then pulled out another one.

"How many potatoes should I use?" the brawler asked the bookworm. Blake barely bat an eye as she opened the fridge and took out a package of bacon.

"Use five. Peel them if you don't want any skins. The potato peeler is in the drawer with the silverware." Blake whipped out a small knife and slit an opening in the package of bacon, and she placed four slices of bacon on the pan at the same time. The bacon immediately began to sizzle, and Blake turned the fan on at full blast.

The two girls worked in silence save for the sounds of the fan and the bacon cooking until Yang couldn't stand it any more.

"I'm going to play some music." Yang announced as she took a break from peeling potatoes and wiped her hands on her pants. Blake noticed this and made sure to chastise Yang for it.

"That's gross! Wash your hands in the sink!" Blake all but screeched at Yang, pointing a pair of tongs at the golden haired girl. Yang raised her hands in the air defensively and walked over to the sink.

"Okay, okay! Geez, what's up with you today?" the lilac eyed girl grumbled as she washed her hands.

"Change your pants too," Blake added, her tone final and leaving no room for argument. Yang complied, leaving the room and returning after a few minutes. When Blake saw Yang, her eyes widened and stared.

"What?" Yang asked, not knowing why Blake was staring. The blonde saw Blake's eyes shift downwards, and it finally dawned on Yang why Blake was staring.

"I borrowed your shorts, by the way," Yang said as she sashayed over to the radio to play some music. She smiled deviously as she found a classic rock station and turned the volume up as AC/DC began to play "You Shook Me All Night Long."

"She was a fast machine

She kept her motor clean

She was the best damn woman I had ever seen

She had the sightless eyes

Telling me no lies"

"Knockin' me out with those American thighs," Yang sang the next line as she looked at Blake, grinning when she managed to make Blake look at her thighs again. Blake swallowed hard and returned her attention to the bacon, taking out a plate and placing the cooked bacon on the plate, trying not to listen to the words of the song or Yang's singing (Yang surprisingly was a good singer). Blake flinched when she felt Yang wrap her arms over her shoulder, her golden hair brushing against the side of the ravenette's face, and Blake tried not to think of the soft pressure against her back, and she really tried not to think of how good Yang smelled with her cherry blossom body wash. As soon as she felt Yang's soft breaths against her ear, Blake gently pushed Yang off of herself, giving the blonde a look.

"What?" Yang asked, laughing, as the ravenette began to frown. "You're shorter than me, and I couldn't help it. Taller people power!"

"Stop messing around and peel the rest of those potatoes. You're not getting out of it," Blake deadpanned, and Yang hung her head in shame as she marched slowly over to the sink to wash her hands again.

Blake finished up the bacon soon after Yang began cutting the potatoes, and as she tore off a few paper towels from the roll that hung below a cabinet, she heard Yang curse loudly.

"Fuck! Fuck it!" Blake looked and saw Yang cradle her finger, where a small red line began to appear. Blake placed the paper towels over the bacon and immediately began to rummage through a drawer, taking out a first aid kit. She opened it up and retrieved a small Hello Kitty band-aid, and was mesmerized by the sight of Yang sucking on her finger. Her luscious pink lips were slightly parted, then wrapped around the finger, then loosened to allow the finger slide out. Truthfully it shouldn't have been have seemed a sexual act at all, but it was enough to make Blake gaze at Yang with softened eyes and an awed expression. Dark golden eyelashes fluttered against creamy skin, lilac eyes unaware and vulnerable. Blake gasped inaudibly, realizing she was staring at her friend once again and proceeded to give first aid. Yang took out her finger, and Blake opened the band-aid and firmly wrapped it around the warm and moist finger.

'Oh shit I'm gay,' Blake thought to herself as Yang gave her a genuine smile and thanked her.

"You really are a girl," Blake said, covering her mouth quickly, not meaning to say that out loud. Well, in her defense, she wasn't quite thinking right, and a lot of the time Yang really didn't seem like a girl to her. More like a vulgar - maybe a little gross - sort of friend that most parents wouldn't want their children to be around with.

"What? Of course I am. I have a pussy and titties just like you." Well, the illusion was broken now. Yang was back to her normal self - or maybe she was guarding herself once again. Blake was surprised once again at the complexity of humans.

The potatoes were finished twenty minutes later, and Blake placed a strainer in the sink and poured the pot out into the sink. The strainer effectively caught the potatoes and drained the water. The dark haired girl placed the pot back onto the stove to cool off.

"Yang, take out a bowl, please."

"Plastic or metal?"

"It doesn't matter. As long as it's a large bowl." Yang placed a plastic bowl on the stainless steel table that stood in the middle of the kitchen, and Blake poured the cooked potatoes into the bowl.

"Take out the cooked bacon, milk, salt, pepper, butter, and mayonnaise," Blake commanded. Yang gave her a disgusted look.

"You put mayonnaise in mashed potatoes? Weird."

"Not as weird as putting butter in beef flavored instant noodles," Blake retorted. "That is gross. I don't even know how you do it."

"I don't know how you put ketchup in your instant ramen. That's just disgusting." Yang shot back.

"It tastes good, and adding an egg makes it even better!"

"Ew, no!"

After arguing about the right way to make instant ramen taste better, the two finally managed to come to decision about mayonnaise in mashed potatoes.

"It'll taste the same without it," Blake said as she put the mayo away in the fridge. She started chopping the cooked bacon into fine bits, and Yang put a couple of spoonfuls of butter on top of the potatoes. Blake sprinkled in the bacon bits and poured in some milk. As Yang began to mash the potatoes with the masher, Blake dusted salt and pepper over the bowl.

"It's done!" Yang said, delighted as she picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes and held it up to the ceiling. "Potatoes!"

Blake shook her head and chuckled as Yang lowered the bowl to the table. She swiped her finger into the mashed potatoes and tasted the mashed potatoes, moaning slightly.

"It's perfect. Try it!" Blake stuck her own finger into the bowl and tasted the potatoes. In her opinion, it needed a little more salt, but if Yang was happy, then she was content.

"She's my cherry pie

Put a smile on your face ten miles wide

Looks so good bring a tear to your eye

Sweet cherry pie"

Blake grimaced at Warrant's lyrics, and she went over to the radio and turned it down, then powered it off. Yang was too busy serving herself a bowl of mashed potatoes to even notice. Blake served herself a bowl of mashed potatoes, and the two girls enjoyed their lunch on this otherwise uneventful and peaceful day.


	12. Merry Christmas

**A/N:** Dialogue lines in italics are spoken in Spanish.

* * *

Blake was the first one to wake up in the morning. The black haired girl blinked and noticed the warm presence that had snuggled into her during the night, and her heart leapt in her chest. Yang was vulgar, obnoxious, arrogant, rude… at the beginning of everything. But Blake only saw tenderness in Yang's sleeping face. She wished Yang would tell her more about herself. She wished that Yang would completely trust into her. But perhaps that was asking too much considering the huge disappointment she was going to have to face later on today. Yang groaned as she shifted in her sleep, and her hand rested on Blake's hip. Blake hesitated at first, then picked up Yang's hand and held it loosely with her own. Briefly, the ravenette considered kissing Yang's forehead, but decided it wasn't enough to justify her disbelief in Yang.

Blake lightly squeezed Yang's hand and listened to the soft snores of her mother and the air that would escape from Yang's nostrils every time she exhaled. It was peaceful right now and it was all Blake could ask for.

Blake really liked Yang. She really did. It was a tough decision to acknowledge that, but it was undeniable. But for now, Blake was fine with this, this right here, having Yang close to her, someone who had never judged her unfairly, in this cool tiled room at this early hour. And it hurt her; she felt so guilty that she couldn't lie to herself and support Yang fully, and she knew that she would regret it, because she knew she would be right. Blake was realistic about matters like these, and she hated herself for not hoping.

Blake's breath caught when she felt Yang's hand tighten around her own, and she held her breath for a second. Sleepy lilac eyes opened to meet her alert golden ones, and Yang's eyes seemed to twinkle. Precious, absolutely precious. Yang was being vulnerable with her right now with such a look of gentleness. Blake unconsciously moved her hand to brush Yang's airy bangs away from her eyes, and the blonde closed her eyes, allowing the ravenette to do this.

There was no rush for anything, Yang reasoned. She had waited this long; what was the point in making a fuss when Ruby would be arriving in a couple of hours? She allowed herself to indulge in Blake's small touches - no, they were more like caresses with how careful she was with her. It felt nice. Her heart rate increasing a bit at the action she was about to perform, Yang opened her eyes and gazed into golden pools. She then reached over and pulled Blake in with the palm of her hand, and she sighed softly as she enveloped the smaller girl into a hug. All of it gentle, all of it lacking urgency. She felt Blake's stiff posture, and Yang loosened her hold on her slightly, only for Blake to wrap her smooth, naked arms around Yang. They both knew what they were doing; but words were not needed. Yang could detect the faint fragrance of the cucumber-scented body cream Blake liked to use after her shower, and the feel of Blake's silky black hair, in comparison to her own dry textured hair, was simply divine. Yang brushed her bare calves against Blake's, noting how they always seemed to be cold. Yang sighed and pressed Blake against her shoulder. If it weren't for her anticipation of Ruby's return, then Yang would have wanted this silent exchange to continue forever.

An understanding passed between the two girls in that instant, and unspoken confessions were bared. But as the sun rose and Kali's snores ceased to normal breathing, Blake knew that when the doorbell rang at the front door, everything would change… for the worse, most likely.

* * *

Yang took a deep breath and relaxed as she let Blake apply a thin line of black eyeliner on the rims of her eyes. A strange urge to twitch made her uncomfortable, but she toughed it out until Blake tapped her shoulder, prompting the blonde to look up at the mirror Blake held in front of her. She stared at the girl who stared back at her, and looked closely at her reflection. It was quite a change from usual. But it was not an unwelcome change.

"You look pretty," Blake murmured, and Yang smiled nervously. The brawler pulled her curly hair to one side and began fiddling with the dead ends (she needed a haircut for sure at this point).

"You think she'll like me?" Yang asked, a bit self-consciously. Blake gave Yang a weak smile.

"I'm sure she would. You're an amazing person, Yang." Yang felt the corners of her mouth curve upwards, and she felt Blake tilt her head up slightly.

"Do you want a bit of shimmer?" Blake queried. Yang nodded, and Blake pulled out a tube of gloss and very daintily applied the sticky gloss to her lips.

"Close your eyes," Blake commanded, and Yang did obeyed, only to feel a small boxy shape press into her hand. Yang opened her eyes and lifted the box, feeling its weight; it was quite heavy for the size. The pale blue wrapping prevented Yang from identifying the box's contents.

"Can I open it?" Yang requested for Blake's permission. Blake nodded, and Yang used the slight length of her nails to rip into the package gracelessly. Yang inhaled suddenly as she registered the picture and the words that accompanied it. It was an iPod nano, specifically a seventh generation examined the smooth black screen and turned it over so she could see the pink color of the iPod.

"Turn it on. I already put music in for you." Yang pressed the button and saw her new iPod come to life. The small white apple logo greeted her, and with a bit of difficulty, she managed to find the songs that Blake put into her iPod.

"Bon Jovi, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Heart, Guns N' Roses… lot of classic rock here, Blake." Blake shrugged, feigning innocence.

"I didn't know what you liked, seeing as that's the only thing you and my dad listen to outside while you're working. So…"

"Aww, Blakey, you were paying attention to what music I like?" Blake pretended to glare at Yang, but all in all she was relieved that Yang liked her gift.

"Now you can have some music to listen to when you work out," Blake pointed out.

"You're right." Yang looked at her iPod again, smiled, and asked Blake something, quite to her amusement: "So how am I supposed to listen to this thing?" To Yang's surprise, Blake hadn't forgotten the headphones like she had thought, and the dark haired girl produced a pair of wireless Skullcandy headphones that would hang around her neck.

"Bluetooth," Blake simply said. "Press the skull and hold it until you hear a sound. I already paired the headphones with your iPod." Yang followed Blake's instructions. She selected "Barracuda" by Heart and as soon as she heard that familiar galloping guitar riff, she began scat, imitating the sound of the guitar. Blake enjoyed herself as she listened to Yang's performance, and she was surprised that Yang had such a light and soft voice when she began to sing along. Blake had expected to Yang's voice to be deep and powerful when singing, but on the contrary it was quite vulnerable and honeyed in sound.

"Merry Christmas girls!" The magic was broken with a loud, dramatic yawn from Kali, and Blake was thrown into a state of worry as Yang took out her earbuds and shouted "merry Christmas!" back at Kali. Kali walked over to the two girls and wrapped her arms around each of her daughters happily, rubbing their arms and kissing Blake's hair.

"Have Tía Ebony and Tío Silvester come yet?" Kali asked Blake.

"Your uncle's name is Silvester?" Yang blurted, laughing at the name. Blake rolled her eyes.

"They're not here yet. I don't think anyone's-"

Ding dong.

 _"Xavier! La puerta!"_

 _"Ay, Isabella! You get the door! Your room is closer!"_

"Here it comes," Kali said under her breath as she exited the room to let the guests in. Blake and Yang followed, and to Yang's disappointment, it was only Cinder.

"Hey Tía," Cinder greeted Kali as she embraced the shorter woman. Kali squeezed her back joyously and laughed.

"Cinder, it's been too long!" Kali exclaimed, letting go of the young adult and holding her shoulders while looking at her niece fondly. Blake went up and hugged Cinder, and soon Isabella entered the room and embraced her daughter and granddaughters. Yang smiled at the scene, and the petite, elderly woman beckoned for Yang to join the group.

Xavier appeared later, and then Coco and her boyfriend Fox arrived at the door. Coco greeted everyone and Fox shook hands with Kali, Xavier and Isabella. Weiss trudged in with Neptune, looking a bit distressed as the blue haired boy raved about some fantasy web show he loved. With ten people all gathered around the door, the large group naturally made their way to the living room and began their chatter as presents were piled on top of the table (as Isabella and Xavier had no Christmas tree). Isabella began serving _atole_ , making everyone groan - it was a hot drink, and they were in Florida, after all - but everyone drank the thick drink out of spirit.

Blake noticed Weiss' discomfort from the corner of her eye, and she nudged Yang, gesturing at the snow haired girl. Time for introductions.

"Weiss, this is Yang, my foster sister. Yang, this is Weiss. She's my… well, she's my friend."

"Hey!" Weiss frowned at Blake's hesitation, a bit displeased. Blake smiled and tapped her cup of _atole_ with Weiss'.

"Cheer up, Weiss. I was just kidding. How's Winter?" Weiss seemed to brighten up at the mention of her sister.

"Oh, she's doing well! She's going to be promoted soon as a detective!"

"Wow," Blake responded, impressed and happy for Winter.

"Is Winter your sister?" Yang asked. Weiss nodded.

"I'm not actually from here. I only came to Homestead because Cinder offered to take me, and Winter wasn't going to be able to take off Christmas break." Yang looked at Weiss questioningly.

"What's your relationship with Cinder?" Weiss looked a little uneasy, glancing at Blake for help. Blake nodded encouragingly.

"Well, they're… engaged, and I live with Winter, so… she's kind of like my sister-in-law, I guess." Yang was intrigued on why Weiss was living with her older sister, but felt that it would be too intruding to ask. She could always find out later anyways. Blake went on to introduce Yang to Coco, who was instantly delighted with Yang, and Fox, who showed his approval for Yang with a rare smile and a few words. Yang was a bit annoyed with Neptune at first, but once the subject of games was brought up by Blake, the three were soon emerged into a nerdy discussion of which Final Fantasy game was the best.

"Time for presents!" Kali announced, grabbing the attention of everyone. The partygoers began to exchange gifts with each other. Blake gave her mother a new compact mirror with a beautiful peacock design on the outside. Kali gave her parents coffee mugs that had suction technology at the bottom so that they would not be accidentally knocked over. Cinder gave Weiss a set of lingerie as a gag gift, much to Weiss' embarrassment, while Weiss had given Cinder a hair curler. Neptune, Coco, and Fox exchanged gifts, and to top it all off, Kali had presented Yang with a mysteriously wrapped box. All eyes were on Yang, and the blonde unexpectedly felt herself become self-conscious from all the stares. She wondered if they knew what deeds she had committed in the past, if Kali or Blake had told them the truth. She wondered if the false front she was putting out was making them disgusted with her. But was this really a disguise? Was she really trying to make them think she was just a normal girl? Or was she really a normal girl? Yang swallowed and tore into the wrapping, and she could hear Blake gasp softly beside her. It was a phone.

Yang picked up the light blue box and opened it, revealing a sleek, black screen. It wasn't an iPhone, but rather an LG Stylo 3 - a pretty good phone. Yang looked at Kali, who simply smiled back at her.

"You deserve it. I can't believe that I am blessed to have another daughter who…" Kali's voice began to crack, and her eyes began to water, alarming both Blake and Yang plus the other partygoers.

"Mom, why are you crying?" Blake asked, trying to reassure her mother by patting her back. Kali shook her head and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to suppress tears, only looking at Yang.

"I… Blake I…" Kali couldn't seem to explain herself. Yang had no idea what to do, and looked around the room for help. Cinder kindly stepped in to explain.

"Blake, your mom had a series of miscarriages before you were born. It's something that women in our family have problems with." Cinder looked at Yang, then returned her gaze to Blake. Blake looked up at Cinder with confused golden eyes.

"Your mother tried to have another child when you were 4 years old, but she had another miscarriage." Oh. Yang understood now why Kali was crying. She gave the woman a hug, and Kali began to calm down. Blake joined them, and then finally - finally - the doorbell rang.

 _Ding dong._

The happy atmosphere soon kicked in again when Weiss dropped her atole on the floor and Coco and Neptune burst out laughing. Weiss, a normally composed person who hardly made mistakes, was quite embarrassed, and Kali began to laugh, causing the somber mood to lift up.

 _Ding dong._

No one had noticed it - not even Yang, as she had become caught up in the merry atmosphere of the room. As Kali tried to play peacemaker for her stubborn, arguing parents, and as everyone busied themselves with discussions about the past year and other things, the front door knob opened.

 _Ding dong._

No one answered the door, although everyone must have heard it at this point.

 _Ding dong._

 _Ding dong._

"I'll… get it," Kali offered, leaving her parents to get the door.

Cinder turned a sickly pale as a man entered the room, her usual cheery demeanor having vanished.

"Dad…" Cinder whispered, only for the dark haired man to glare at his daughter. Cinder bowed her head slightly and said nothing.

The atmosphere turned tense, and Yang could feel herself becoming uneasy with how Coco shared a worried glance with Fox, and how Kali's eyes seemed to have darkened. Xavier stood up and crossed his arms as he walked over to stand behind Cinder.

"Is this Silvester?" Yang whispered to Blake. Blake shook her head slowly.

"That's… my uncle, Forest. He's the ex-husband of my aunt. No one really likes him, and the only reason we consider him family is because of Cinder."

"Can you tell me why the hell the room is so fuckin- FREAKING quiet?" Yang censored herself, which would have surprised Blake if this were some other time, but right now Blake was concerned about her older cousin.

"He knows that Cinder is gay and he's homophobic." Yang looked at Blake, and Blake bit her lip nervously.

"Cinder… let's just say that she has problems with her dad, okay?"

Forest Fall scanned the room, only finding hard stares being directed at him. For some reason no one was saying anything, and Blake felt herself become ashamed that no one was doing anything. The ashy haired man mumbled something under his breath, which sounded like a command, and Cinder followed her father out of the room and outside the house.

Yang could only hope that the usually cheery woman would be alright.

* * *

As the afternoon approached, Yang began to feel herself become disappointed. Nobody else had come over to the house, and although Kali tried to cheer up the blonde, Yang figured that Ebony, Silvester, Ruby, and Oscar had decided not to come over. Yang looked at the picture of Blake's cousins on her new phone, then looked away. Blake had given Yang her Facebook password to poke around on Facebook, and by the looks of it, this Ruby was probably not her Ruby. This Ruby had pale eyes that were more bluish than grey, and she had a few freckles that dotted her nose. Plus she seemed to be tall and gangly. She just didn't scream "Ruby" out to her. Then again, maybe Ruby had taken after their father… but Yang knew that it was a stretch to claim this person has her long lost sister.

Blake was right. And Yang had let herself become excited for no reason. It was a stroke of luck for the Pines family to not have come over this Christmas, for whatever reason. It saved Yang a lot of embarrassment.

Lilac eyes stared at the picture once more, then went back to Blake's timeline.

Maybe she should give up. It had been over 10 years, 10 goddamn years since she was separated from Ruby. The chances that Yang could coincidentally find her through a host family was laughable. It was naive, and Yang had truly believed that she was right, and that Blake was just being pessimistic. But no - Blake was being realistic.

The tears spilled over her cheeks before she even knew it, and the image of Blake's profile picture began to blur as her eyes became warm and wet.

She was all alone in this world. She had no parents to speak of, her only sister was gone, and she didn't even know where her birth mother was.

She was an orphan.

The thought hit Yang harder than she realized, and she began to tremble and sob as thoughts raced through her mind. She was an orphan. She had no family. She was completely alone, she was the only one of her family left, there wasn't anyone else. It was a scary concept to think about. It tore her up.

"Yang! Are you alright?" The delinquent faced the woman who had entered the room hurriedly. Yang tried to smile, but only began to sob even harder.

"Nonono, shh shh shhhh, hey, it's alright," Kali immediately embraced Yang into a large hug as she whispered coaxing words, rubbing Yang's back and letting the blonde cry into her hair. Yang bawled like a toddler as this woman, who wasn't even her parent, let her spill all the tears that she had been trying to hold back for all of these years.

Yang hated crying. It was weak, and it made her vulnerable. She had been a proud girl when she was a true delinquent, living on the streets with her makeshift "family." She had a reputation for not crying, instead allowing herself to become angry, angry at her foster siblings for trying to rape her, angry at the person who had nearly mugged her, angry at her mother for abandoning her, angry at the world. She had been angry at Ironwood for being so understanding with her. She had been angry at Kali and Ghira for allowing her to stay with them. She… she was...

Yang was tired now.

She was tired of the shitty hand Life had dealt her, and she was tired of being judged, tired of being oh so alone, tired of… reality.

The world sucked. What was even the point anymore?

As she thought that, Blake walked into the room and met Yang's eyes with an alarmed expression.

Lilac eyes were dark and stormy. The twinkle in Yang's eye seemed to have dimmed out.

And for a moment, it seemed as time had trudged into a slow stop, then shut down.

* * *

 **A/N:** I've uploaded simple family trees on imgur for any readers who are confused about Blake or Yang's family.

Blake's family: imgur. com(slash)a(slash)qFawv

Yang's family: imgur. com(slash)yPChKTc


	13. No matter what

The three women had arrived just as the sky was beginning to darken. Yang glumly looked at the now familiar driveway that their car was entering. There was pop music playing softly in the background, and Blake had dozed off when they had passed the South Carolina Border. Yang, on the other hand, hadn't been able to sleep, and she and Kali had passed the rest of the car ride in silence.

The vacation had been fun at first. It was nice to spend time with Blake and her family, and Yang felt closer with Kali now. But Yang was still feeling down about her disappointment, and she tried to think of happier things. She hoped to see Coco and Fox again. They were nice and funny. Neptune was a wimp, but he was cool to talk to. And it was funny to hear Isabella and Xavier go at it with each other. It was nice, Yang supposed. Blake's family was very open with each other…

Except for Cinder's father. The atmosphere had turned icy when he had entered. As if everyone else knew something in the room that Yang didn't.

Cinder's terrified expression flashed through Yang's mind once more as Kali parked the car and turned off the engine, yawning loudly and stretching. The older woman groaned as she stretched out her arms, and Yang could hear her joints pop softly.

"Ohhh yes. That feels nice," Kali muttered to herself. The short haired woman turned around and smiled at Yang. Yang smiled back, and although it wasn't a genuine smile, it was enough to make Kali nod in approval before getting out of the car.

Blake was still sleeping in the passenger's seat, so Yang exited the car and began stretching herself. After she was finished, she began to help Kali put away their luggage and other things that they had brought from Florida. Bag after bag, suitcase after suitcase, the duo eventually cleared the car of the items.

"We'll vacuum and clean the inside of the car tomorrow," Kali promised Yang as she went to go wake Blake up. Yang held her arm with her other hand awkwardly as Kali carefully prodded Blake's shoulders, gently speaking to her daughter until the ravenette began to stir. And when Blake sleepily opened her eyes, Kali's expression was tender and loving as she whispered words. Yang looked away and headed inside the house. It seemed to be a private moment, and Yang was better off putting her luggage away.

The house seemed a bit colder on the inside. Yang figured that it was because Ghira was still at work, but in any case, she turned on a few lights. She didn't like how dark and somber the rooms looked.

"Tch tch tch." Yang called for Neon, and moments later, a russet furred tail bobbed into the room along with a silent cat. The blonde was still as Neon rubbed her head against Yang's shins, leaning her lithe body across the back of her legs as she curled her tail around. Yang slowly lowered herself into a crouch so that she could pet the green eyed cat. She carefully caressed the base of Neon's ears against her skull, and she could hear a low rumble within the cat's chest. Yang unconsciously smiled as this silent exchange continued, and Neon's long tail wrapped around Yang's wrist.

"Hey girl," Kali greeted Neon as she entered the room, and the moment of peace disappeared from Yang. But it was alright, Yang supposed as Blake and Kali entered the house, bringing in a burst of cold air from outside as Blake slammed the door shut. It was alright.

* * *

"It's alright, Yang," Blake coaxed the blonde as Yang bounced her knees nervously as they waited in the office of the high school. Winter break was over tomorrow, and although there was still a festive air around these days, life had to be continued. Yang had promised Kali a while back that she would try to get back into school, and though she had meant nothing by it at the time, Kali had still made arrangements to have Yang enrolled. Which meant there had been a call to Ironwood, most likely, to find Yang's high school transcript.

By the looks of it, it wasn't good.

"Attendance record is horrible, she was suspended multiple times for fights, forget about filler classes because she barely managed to pass her core classes…" The guidance counselor shook her head as she looked over Yang's transcript, trying to determine the best way to place Yang in a grade. The blonde woman sighed as she leafed through a few papers, and she pushed her glasses up as she folded her arms and squarely faced the trio.

"Mrs. Belladonna, Yang has taken the minimum amount of classes to be able to be placed in with the sophomores. The Mistral school curriculum is faster paced than North Carolina's school curriculum, so Yang should be able to graduate this year as a sophomore, but only if she is willing to take extra classes." Ms. Goodwitch enunciated the last few words, and Yang winced slightly at the sharp tone. Kali nodded thoughtfully as she shifted the purse on her lap.

"What do you mean by that, Ms. Goodwitch?" Kali inquired.

"It means," Ms. Goodwitch began, "Yang must take two core classes and two filler classes, as well as two additional online classes in order to pass this semester. Luckily enough, she has completed enough core classes in Mistral to have been placed as a sophomore." Ms. Goodwitch gave Yang a hard look, and Yang swallowed nervously.

"That being said, luck can only take you so far, young lady. But, if you are willing to work hard, I believe in you." Suddenly the blonde woman smiled, and Yang could see her light green eyes more clearly. "I've helped many troubled students such as you, some of which who were already parents or had to work jobs in order to support their families. I can see that you live in a supportive home with good parents and a wonderful young lady to help you out. Take advantage of this golden opportunity, Miss Xiao Long, and do not waste it, for this may be your last chance at having a free high school education." Yang nodded fervently, and Ms. Goodwitch nodded once, satisfied. She turned to Kali.

"Now, here comes the fun part: choosing classes."

Yang groaned internally.

* * *

There wasn't much left to choose from, but Yang had managed to find a few classes that didn't seem so boring. However, she did wonder what on Earth had made her choose Agricultural Science as one of her filler classes. Yang just hoped that the Mechanics class she chose for her fourth period would be better than she expected. As for her core classes, Ms. Goodwitch had enrolled Yang into Math 2 and English 2 - which happened to be honors classes instead of the regular ones. Yang had also signed up for Spanish 1 and College and Career Preparation 1, both online classes.

Yang could practically feel the pressure on her shoulders when she imagined the mountain of homework that would come before her.

The blonde glanced at Blake, who was focused on the road as she drove them both to school. She had been nothing but supportive of Yang's decision to take so many classes, and she had even offered to help Yang with her Spanish and English classes, even though Blake would certainly be busy with her own AP classes. Yang studied Blake, and she smiled when she realized what Blake was wearing.

"We're matching," Yang noted, pointing out Blake's black scarf that was wrapped around in the same fashion as Yang's scarf. Blake briefly looked at Yang, then touched her scarf.

"You're right. Also we both left our hair down, and we're wearing black jeans." Blake mused, taking it a step further. It was funny how similarly the two were dressed, although Yang had worn a weird maroon turtleneck sweater that Blake had given her. It exposed her chest and cleavage yet covered her neck, arms, and everything else. Blake muttered something about not having the guts to wear it and having ordered it off Amazon, but Yang was happy to have the strange sweater. It was like an indirect gift from Blake. The dark haired girl wore a beige tank top with a burgundy jacket, on the other hand, and exposed a tiny bit of cleavage that was covered by the jacket.

Blake pulled into a parking space and left the engine running for a while as Blake and Yang huddled in the warmth of the large Toyota. But soon enough it was time to go to class, and Blake cut the engine off and reached into the backseat to retrieve her backpack. Yang sighed internally as she joined Blake to enter the school building. It was time to go back to school.

The ravenette showed Yang to her first class and parted with a few waves and a farewell. Yang could feel the curious looks that were given to her as she sat down next to a small girl who looked at Yang with disinterest. Yang gave the girl the stank face and waited for the teacher to begin class.

Much to Yang's annoyance, whenever she would happen to glance that girl's way, the girl would respond with a stank face. This began a silent competition during the entire class period where Yang and the tiny girl exchanged ugly faces. While the teacher was pulling up a powerpoint on proper MLA format, Yang watched the girl scribble out a note and pass it to the blonde. Flabbergasted, Yang hesitated to take the note and only took it when she saw the girl grow impatient.

" _You're new aren't you_?" the note read. Yang scrawled out a response and handed the note back to the girl. A minute later Yang received the note once more.

" _I'm Neo. I'm 17 and I just transferred from Atlas High. You?_ "

" _I'm Yang, and I'm also 17. I dropped out of school and came back. Why are you in this class if you're 17? Aren't you too old?_ "

" _I could say the same for you, but I was held back in seventh grade because I missed too many days_."

" _Dude, that is so stupid! Fuck those idiots!_ "

Lucky for Yang, Neo seemed to be in most of her classes except for Agricultural Science and Yang's online classes. After the class period was over, Yang bade Neo farewell, only to receive a wave from the tiny girl. Other students in Yang's first period flocked over to the blonde out of curiosity, and Yang soon found herself to be quite popular for some reason.

'This isn't so bad,' Yang thought as she walked down the hall with a group of girls and boys to Agricultural Science. 'In fact it's kinda... nice. Can't believe I even made a friend right off the bat.'

Meanwhile Blake was off with Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren in AP Biology. As their pompous teacher rattled off about his research on cells and genes, the four talked about their vacation as the rest of the class talked amongst themselves.

"Ren got a dog," Nora piped up, grinning as she showed the short dog off to her group of friends. "He's a cutie! Almost looks like Ren, don'tcha think?"

"Nora… please don't compare me to a dog." Ren inputted quietly. Nora giggled and put her glitter cased phone away in her skirt pocket. How Nora wore skirts in the winter and didn't complain was a mystery that no one was going to bother investigating. Pyrrha put her arm around Jaune and smiled fondly at the blonde.

"I finally asked Jaune out, and he accepted my proposal," the redhead beamed as she leaned onto Jaune's shoulder. Jaune smiled and awkwardly adjusted his neck to allow Pyrrha to rest more easily on his shoulder.

"So when's the wedding?" Nora blurted, and Blake snickered as Ren swatted Nora lightly. Pyrrha merely smiled and closed her eyes.

"In about five years. You're all invited," the amazoness boldly claimed. Jaune's blue eyes widened worryingly. Ren patted the blonde on the arm in a comforting manner.

"I wish you two the best." Ren said encouragingly, more to Jaune than Pyrrha.

"And to you," Jaune responded, gesturing with his eyes to both Ren and Nora. Nora coughed and bashfully smiled.

"Um, you know me and Ren are not, like… you know, together together, right?" Ren raised a dark eyebrow at Nora.

"We're not?" he asked, confusion evident in his usually stoic voice. Nora blinked, then confusion spread on her face.

"We're not?" she mirrored him. Blake looked upon the exchange and shook her head to herself. Those two were hopeless.

"Congratulations, you two." Blake said to Pyrrha and Jaune as Ren and Nora sorted out their feelings. "Now all you need is a ship name and you two will be perfect." Blake jokingly added. To her shock, Jaune replied that many of their peers had already given them a ship name called Arkos.

The three looked at Ren and Nora, who had began to argue with each other over their confusion in relationship status.

"So what's their ship name?" Blake wondered.

"Renora," Jaune and Pyrrha answered almost at the same time. "They're idiots for each other." Pyrrha added. Blake suddenly felt a bit separate from her friends as she watched Pyrrha lean against Jaune and Nora boop Ren on the nose. She just realized that all of her friends, including Velvet, were in a relationship. That was a bit awkward to know.

"So what about Yang?" Ren asked as Nora began to play with Ren's long hair. "How is she doing? You hardly text us anymore."

"Sorry," Blake apologized, ducking her head. "It's just been busy adjusting to her, and then with our trip to Florida, it just slipped my mind."

"Don't forget about your friends, young lady," Nora pointed a finger at Blake as she held Ren's new braid with her other hand. "Yang may have stolen you from our lives after school, but I still want to celebrate your birthday like we usually do? 'Kay?"

"Yang didn't steal me," Blake laughed at Nora's exaggeration. "You just have no idea how… high maintenance she is." Ren gave Blake a look, then shifted his eyes to Nora, then back to Blake.

"I think I may have an idea of what you mean, Blake." The pink eyed boy said. Nora ignored that statement and asked Pyrrha for a hair tie so that she could finish Ren's braid.

* * *

After a week of school, Yang could finally say that she really, really…

"-don't like school that much," Yang admitted to Blake as she watched Blake feed the chickens.

"Oh, well that's too bad," Blake nonchalantly answered as she tossed the feed across the fence. The chickens squabbled amongst themselve for food, and a few of the goats tried to find the feed in the dead grass so that they could get some as well. Blake threw a few twigs at the goats to make them leave the chickens in peace.

"Go on, Nubian, Rudy. You've already eaten, and you have hay. Leave my minions alone."

"It's like, I'm okay with the homework - even if there's a lot of it - and I'm okay with most people I guess, and Neo's always fun to text with… but I just hate sitting down all the time. Mechanics is the only class I look forward to at the end of the day. Otherwise it's just typing and writing and sitting." Blake shrugged her shoulders and bent down to give Sunny a handful of feed.

"You're just going to have to get used to it. By the way, how's your Spanish class going?"

"It's stupid. A lot of the words that you've taught me aren't even used in this class." Yang complained. Blake hummed sympathetically.

"That's because you're learning Spain Spanish instead of Mexican Spanish. You'll get through it Yang." Blake looked up at Yang from her crouched position as Sunny gobbled up her feed. "I believe in you." Yang paused for a few seconds, then joined Blake into a crouch to watch Sunny eat.

"You know, I haven't heard you curse ever since Florida." Blake commented as Sunny scratched the ground for any remaining bits.

"Oh, I haven't?" Yang vaguely answered as she pulled her gloves up on her hand.

"No, you haven't." Blake murmured. "Also I've noticed that you seem a lot… girlier, I guess."

"That's because I am a girl." Yang retorted. "Anything wrong with that?"

"Hey, don't get defensive. I was just observing." Blake defended herself. Blake shifted her eyes from Sunny to meet Yang's lilac orbs. "Is there any particular reason why you seem to have changed within the past couple weeks?" Yang was silent for a while, and Blake didn't press the curly haired girl for answers.

"I want to be myself." Yang spoke softly, hesitation in her voice. "I… I pretended to be so tough, and I would always show off my boobs to get what I wanted - information, free drinks, you name it. I'm confident with my body, and I admit… I've done a few things I'm not proud of. But before I became a delinquent, I was actually pretty girly." Yang closed her eyes and rested her chin on her interlocked hands.

"I guess I'm just trying to remember who I am. Who I was, who I became, who I am now… I'm confused. Nothing is normal in my life." Yang sighed and shook her head. "Since I am turning 18 this April, I could just age out of the foster care system and start working. But I know that would just doom me to work at McDonald's. So I'm going to just stay with the foster care system until I can make it out on my own. But who knows how long I'm going to stay with you guys."

"Yang." Blake frowned at Yang's negative attitude. "My parents aren't going to just kick you out like that. We're supporting you here no matter what." Yang didn't look convinced.

"No matter what," Blake enunciated clearly. "Yang, I - dare I even say love - I love you and genuinely care for you. We may not have known each other for that long, but these past three months… I wouldn't trade them for anything." Blake rose from her crouch, and Sunny ran off somewhere. Blake held out her hand and Yang took it. Blake pulled Yang up to her feet, and the two walked inside into their room. Blake considered sitting on the chair, but instead sat on the bed. Yang plopped herself beside Blake, and Blake couldn't help but remember that one time when Blake had stormed out of the dining room and how Yang had just plopped onto the bed next to her so nonchalantly… just like now.

"So you do love me?" Blake looked at Yang.

"Of course I love you. You're amazing, Yang. You're confident, not afraid to say what you want to say, you're passionate when it comes to things that you care about, and you're unbelievably kind." Blake looked to the side sheepishly as she added, "also you're really pretty and I really love your eyes when you make that innocent face." Yang looked at Blake, her expression neutral and her eyes sincere.

"Like that. You look so fragile and vulnerable and it makes me want to hug you and never let go. Also you have awesome hair and a gorgeous face." Yang crossed her arms and looked down at her lap.

"I only see my mother when I look in the mirror. Whenever I would see photos of her with my dad, my dad would always tell me that I was going to look like her when I grew up. And, I mean, I do look a lot like her. At least from my memory." Blake gazed curiously at Yang.

"Do you think that you're beautiful?" Yang shrugged.

"Sometimes I think I'm the most gorgeous thing in the world, then other times I see pimples and I'm like 'ugh.' Overall I think I just look like my mom."

"Have you searched for her?" Blake inquired.

"Not really," Yang said. "I've been… preoccupied with Ruby… although, now I'm just not sure if I'll ever find her." Blake held Yang's hand and squeezed gently.

"We'll find her. I promise we'll find her one day, Yang. After all, it's a small world." Yang groaned.

"If it really was a small world then I would've already found her."

"True," Blake acknowledged that fact, "but I like to think that phrase means that you have to look at the unlikeliest of places in order to find someone. From then on, it's a small world."

"So encouraging," Yang said sarcastically, but smiled at Blake to let her know that she was only joking.

"Yang, could we look up your mother on Facebook? There's a chance we could find her." Yang's smile faded, and the blonde looked indecisive.

"I guess we could…" Yang allowed. There was no harm in it, she supposed, but she still did resent the reasoning for her mother's abandonment, although it was mostly subdued at this point. "Her name is Raven Branwen."

"Okay…" Blake typed in the name into the search bar and hit enter. A few results popped up, and most of them already were definitely not Yang's mother. However, one result made Blake pause.

A red eyed woman with a shorter girl with spiky black hair. Both were fair skinned and while the girl smiled brightly, the woman seemed to not want to take a picture, as if the girl had dragged her into taking a picture.

"Yang…" Blake began slowly, showing Yang the profile. Yang's eyes took in the picture, then blinked.

"I think that's my mom." The blonde simply said. "I don't know that other girl, but I think that's my mom. Click on it." Blake did as she was told. Unfortunately, it seemed that Raven had made her profile private, and all that they could see was when she changed her profile picture or cover photo. Yang grabbed Blake's phone and stared at the picture.

"Hey, where's yours?" Blake tried to joke as Yang looked through Raven's pictures. They were mostly pictures of other people or items, or screenshots of things on the Internet. However, Blake could see two recurring people that popped up on Raven's pictures: a tall man with stubble along his jaw, and that same girl. Although there were only a few pictures with the girl in Raven's later pictures, there were pictures of the man up til the time that the account was created.

Blake and Yang looked at each other, incredulous.

"Do you think that…"

"Are you thinking that's…"

Ruby?


	14. Finally home

It had been a few weeks.

If Yang had been the girl she was a few months ago, she would have been impulsive. She probably would have begged Blake for help. She might have been angry, even dangerous. But no, that's not how she had reacted at all. Instead, taking Blake's approach to this, she simply kept it in her thoughts. Even though she really wanted to message this woman who was probably her mother.

But that man. He looked so familiar somehow, and Yang just couldn't put her finger on why. She also couldn't put her finger on why she wanted so badly to message her mother, but at the same time wanted to be as far from her as possible. The answers that she had been searching for, through people and shady dealings, were as simply to access as the click of a button. Was she so stupid for not considering Facebook, of all places? No; she hadn't had access to the Internet, so it wasn't her fault to blame.

Click. She exited the tab and the Windows logo appeared on the screen. She stared at the bright blue color, enjoying it's exquisite, yet simple, design. She really was behind in technology. She had struggled with operating the PC at first, but Blake taught Yang how to use it with her patience. The ravenette never made fun of Yang, and Yang wondered if Blake was doing it out of kindness or empathy. Blake was a creative and imaginative person. Maybe she had figured that Yang hadn't been able to keep up with her own generation. Blake was a good girl.

Classes. Yang had struggled with them. Although her teachers knew her situation, and most of them understood her need to review forgotten material, she still had to keep up. The first couple of weeks were easy. As the class progressed into more complicated material, Yang had to reach out to Blake for help. Blake was a native Spanish speaker and had already taken both Spanish classes that the high school provided, and she was a natural writer and a grammar queen. But there was something that Blake couldn't help Yang with: Math 2. Blake had passed her math classes with flying colors, but she had never liked math, and therefore disliked the subject very much. She did, however, know someone who was surprisingly in love with math.

"Hey Kali! Hey Ghira!" Nora chirped, followed by Ren.

"Nora!" Kali greeted the short girl affectionately by kissing the girl's cheek, and Nora did the same to Kali. Nora hugged Ghira, and the large man ruffled the orange haired girl's hair. Meanwhile Ren politely waved at Kali and Ghira while greeting them with a slight bow of his head. Blake was in the bathroom, so Yang opened up a Word document to start on an essay for English. She wasn't entirely comfortable with Blake's friends, although Blake had spoke of them often. Luckily for Yang, Blake exited the bathroom and guided her friends over at the desk where Yang was sitting. Yang stood up to face the duo.

"Heya, Yang! I'm Nora!" she cheerfully introduced herself.

"My name is Ren. It's nice to finally meet you, Yang." Ren said, smiling at Yang. Yang glanced at Blake, then at the two strangers before her.

"I'm Yang I guess. I just started this semester and I'm… a sophomore." Nora didn't bat an eyelash before embracing Yang into a large hug that Yang never expected from such a short girl.

"Hey, it's okay. Don't be ashamed of yourself. We know your situation, and I just want to say that you're strong and you can do anything you want." Yang knew Nora and Ren didn't truly know all the details, but she was still touched at the sudden gesture. Nora let go of Yang, and the short girl beamed. Ren loosely wrapped his arm around the redhead in a loving gesture.

"Nora is really good at math-"

"I love it." Nora interrupted.

"-so if you need help with anything, she's your girl," Blake continued, used to Nora's interruptions. "Ren and I share AP Chemistry together and we're going to study in the room."

"Alrighty, gotcha." Yang replied. "Have fun," she added sarcastically, making Blake roll her eyes and smirk as she sashayed away to Blake and Yang's room with Ren. Yang let her eyes follow the ravenette and notice the sway of Blake's hips before looking over to Nora. Nora grinned at Yang.

"Why don't you two get together already? You're practically devouring her with her eyes." Yang didn't expect such a blunt remark at this hour of the morning.

"Well, according to what Blake said, you and Ren weren't 'together together' until you guys realized you were together. You're one to talk." Nora pouted cutely.

"Hey, in my defense, I thought it was just a friends with benefits thing!" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"You had sex with him?" Nora shrugged.

"He was my first kiss. It made sense to go the full way." Yang gave Nora a look.

"And you thought it wasn't romance?" Nora slumped her shoulders.

"I thought it was just nostalgia really." Yang thought about the situation and thought about Flynt and his warm smile, and how Miltia's viridian green eyes would roam over her body. She could relate a bit.

Nora was a patient teacher who had an interesting method to math. The first thing she told Yang was that math was never wrong. When the blonde inquired why, Nora responded with the statement that math was quite simple. All one needed to do was plug numbers into a formula and follow basic rules to get an answer.

"Think about changing a tire," Nora encouraged Yang. "There's a few ways to change it, but ultimately it's the same method. You need to jack up the car, unscrew the bolts, take off the tire, take off the rim, put a new tire on, put it back on the car, screw the bolts back on, and decompress the jack. Now, you could put on the bolts in a specific order, or you could take a shortcut and let someone else change your tire, but you'll always get a spanking new tire."

During Yang's tutoring session, the two dynamic girls learned that they shared quite a few things in common. Nora had a history of violence and homelessness beyond those bright teal eyes.

"There wasn't always a time where Daddy and I could find a cheap motel to stay in," the short girl mused with her eyes closed as she went down memory lane. "Most of the time we stayed in domestic violence shelters. I always hated them. We shared a tiny room together and there were always roaches and mice poop. Finally Daddy couldn't take care of me anymore and he left me with Ren's family. Daddy ended up going to jail for drug abuse." All this Nora said with a smile.

"Why do you seem so happy?" Yang asked, baffled. "Aren't you upset at all?"

"Oh, I was for a while," Nora answered. "But the situation wasn't always bad. Daddy never raised a hand at me in my life, and he was always doing his best to be positive. Daddy is already out of prison, but he's still trying to get his life together. Meanwhile, I stay with Ren." Nora leaned back on the chair Yang had brought her, and her eyes twinkled.

"I think that God blessed me with Daddy's positivity. Some people think that I'm dumb or too energetic, but I think life is far too sad to be upset about. I'd rather take charge and show people what I can be than let myself become a victim."

The blonde was speechless. It never occurred to her that she should be focusing on the positive parts of her life. True, there were a lot of bad things… but there were also good things.

She had never gone a day without eating. She had had friends. She was living a nice life with Blake and her family. People accepted Yang. Yang had even made new friends, even though Neo wouldn't speak to her.

Was Yang ungrateful?

Yang looked at Nora's million-watt smile and pondered that thought.

As the world slowly entered chilly February, Yang was delighted to see a layer of white on the lawn when she woke up one morning. However, the house seemed emptier than usual. Yang stood up, stretched and cracked her joints, and put on a pair of fuzzy socks and sandals. Shuffling over to the kitchen, she was startled to see a red-faced Blake staring at a mug of hot chocolate that she held in her hands.

"Blake!?" Yang rushed over to the ravenette and hugged her from behind as the ravenette burst into tears. Yang looked around helplessly before targeting the source of Blake's pain, and a heavy weight settled at the bottom of her stomach.

Oh.

Curled up in her tiny plush bed was Neon. Her eyes were shut, and her tail was wrapped around herself protectively, but it was clear that she was not moving. Not even a slightest twitch of her whiskers. She looked as if she were sleeping. She looked peaceful, yet she would never wake up.

Yang felt her eyes begin to water at the pitiful sight. Neon was dead. She was gone. Just like that. Tears blurred Yang's vision as she took in the image of the dead cat. It wasn't fair. Was it? Blake had said that Neon had been alive for as long as Blake had. That made her 17 years old. But still, so suddenly on such a normal morning…

"She's gone." Blake rasped, her voice breaking. "Neon's gone." And she began to sob.

Yang began to panic as her own tears began to dry up. How was she supposed to comfort Blake? Yang had never been good with death, seeing how her own parents had died. She had never cried for them at the funeral. She had had to be strong for Ruby. Ruby was the one who had cried for their parents. She was too young, they were both too young…

Yang settled for humming a soothing tune and rocking Blake gently, side to side, in an effort to calm Blake down. Blake put down her hot chocolate on the counter, the drink being cooled down for who knows how long, and the ravenette threw her arms around Yang and wept onto Yang's shoulder. Blake cried for a long time, her body shuddering and heaving, and Yang did the best she could to soothe the dark haired girl. She sang softly and rubbed Blake's back just like Summer had done for Yang when she was young. Blake clutched Yang like her life depended on it. At this point Yang finally accepted Neon's death, as sad as it was, and made herself Blake's source of comfort. Yang lead Blake away from the deceased cat and into their room, making sure to lie Blake down where Yang had just been a few minutes ago. Yang laid down with her and hugged Blake, holding her close as Blake's crying turned into sniffling. Blake held onto Yang and soon found her breathing to be almost normal, with the occasional hiccup interrupting her breaths. Yang gently brushed her thumb across Blake's cheek, caressing the skin as the girl quietly looked up at Yang with red eyes.

"Are you okay now?" Yang murmured. Blake slowly nodded her head. Yang knew that they had to bury Neon soon. It was going to be nearly impossible to do it in winter, and even more so since it had snowed.

They'd have to leave Neon in the woods.

The thought of doing that made Yang grimace, but she couldn't see any other alternative. So when Blake was finally calm enough to function properly, the two girls began to prepare to put Neon to rest. Blake phoned her mother to let her know about Neon's passing, and Kali had passed the message on to Ghira. Neither of her parents would be able to leave work early, unfortunately, so it was up to Blake and Yang to give Neon a proper funeral.

Blake couldn't bear to stand the thought of some stray animal eating Neon, so she obtained a box that could lock from their room. It was a little bigger than Neon, so Yang suggested that they put Neon's bed in the box along with a blanket. Blake agreed to the idea.

When the time came to put Neon away in the makeshift casket, Blake's hands trembled, and she began to cry again. Yang had to put the cat inside the box. It was a disgusting feeling to put Neon away. She was so stiff, so cold, and her head was limp.

The two girls dressed themselves to head outside. Yang wore her orange scarf and her thick brown winter coat, and Blake wore a beanie and a black jacket. The two girls carried the box towards the woods, and the solemn sounds of the crunch of their boots hitting the snow made the funeral even more sad. The world was silent, and the air was frosty, but Blake's empty expression made everything even more chilly.

They buried her in the snow below a pine tree, deep in the woods of their backyard. Blake placed Neon's light blue collar on top of the snow, and the small gold bell jingled merrily as it was put down. Yang's feet were burning with cold, and her thighs were numb. Blake was in the same position. It was impossible to ignore the shiver that had passed through the bookworm's body. Yang knew that they were bound to get sick if they stayed any longer, but Blake stood her ground firmly as she stared at the mound in front of them.

"She was a good cat." Yang finally said, breaking the silence. It was awkward now that she had said something. Yang rolled with it and began to talk about the russet-furred cat.

"I mean, I only knew her for a little while, but she was the first one to befriend me in this household. Unlike another catty girl I know." Blake gave Yang a ghost of a smile, life returning to her golden eyes. Yang continued to speak great things about Neon.

"She was so soft and cuddly, and she always knew when something was up with someone. She had this really awesome long tail that she would wrap around people's legs, and she would always make someone's day like that. Whenever she would walk into a room, her gold bell would jingle and somehow make the room brighter." Yang continued until there were no more words. Sharing a glance with Blake, she ended the funeral with five words.

"Good-bye Neon. We'll miss you."

The snow melted and February turned into March. Yang had done some poking around on the Internet, but nothing came up. All she had managed to find was a local newspaper mentioning the car accident that her parents had been in. She had gone to Facebook several times with her newly made account and searched for any mention of her mother - or Ruby. But no, nothing. Yang had tried an online site that would search for missing persons, but she would have needed to create an account and pay for their services. It was like her mother lived under a rock.

Blake had joined Yang's search and came up with a Qrow Branwen, who looked very much like Raven Branwen. His Facebook profile was less private and allowed the two to see his basic information. It turned out that he was Raven's brother, and Yang suddenly recognized the man as her Uncle Qrow.

Other than that, there was nothing new. Same results, same anonymity. Yang was frustrated.

Yang noticed that her abs weren't as defined and that her toned muscles had softened. It made sense. She hadn't been working out as much because she had so much homework to do, and because she had friends to take care of. Adding onto Neo, Yang had befriended Ren, Nora, and eventually Pyrrha and Jaune. Plus, Yang's new search for her mother was always on her mind.

It was near the end of March that a mysterious phone call from Mistral was answered by Kali.

"Oh, Mr. Ironwood! How lovely to hear from you!" the short woman said as she left the kitchen and entered her room, shutting the door softly. Yang looked at Blake quizzically.

"You do know that my parents keep in touch with Ironwood, right?" Blake asked. Yang shook her head, and Blake shook her head at Yang, smiling.

"My mom only has good things to say about you. Don't worry. Also, did you want to-"

Blake's phone began to buzz, and Blake interrupted herself in order to answer the phone. Blake listened to the other line before smiling brightly.

"Cinder! How are you doing?" Incomprehensible gibberish poured out of the speakers.

"Put it on speakerphone," Yang protested. Blake put the phone on speakerphone, and the distorted sound of Cinder blared from the speakers.

"- and Weiss is finally growing up! She's dating Neptune, and I think it's cute how they're keeping in touch despite being in different states."

"Wow, I never would have thought," Yang commented. "She looked like she was always being annoyed by him." Cinder hummed.

"I think deep down she sees how much he tries his best to impress her. It's not everyday that you see someone trying their best to improve themselves. Anyways, I'm sitting over here with Winter, who is the love of my life-"

"Cin, stop exaggerating." An attractive, mature voice interrupted Cinder, and Yang assumed that the woman was Winter.

"But it's true, babe. I love you so much." Cinder told Winter sincerely. A few seconds passed, and Yang and Blake blushed when they heard Winter groan lowly.

"Cinder, they're listening…"

"They can't hear us-"

"Yes we can," Yang said loudly. Some shuffling was heard, and it was assumed that the two lovers made themselves decent.

"So Winter, how's the new position of detective?" Blake asked.

"Spectacular, actually. I'm already working on my first case - I can't tell you about it though - and it's very satisfactory work to uncover clues. I love it."

"She's never home though and-" Yang and Blake heard a door open and close, "- oh hi Weiss! How was the movie?"

"Could you please not grope my older sister in front of me?" Laughs were heard, and both Yang and Blake shook their heads. The three seemed busy.

"Text me later, Cinders," Blake said, and a chorus of goodbyes were said from the other side.

Blake smiled at Yang, and Yang felt her heart race. Blake was so pretty, and she looked so honest and happy right now. Yang yearned to have her slender friend within her grasp. She wanted to give Blake happiness. She wanted to continue to improve herself to be worthy of Blake. She wanted to ask a question, but she shouldn't ask it; it was a question she had asked in her mind dozens of times over and over again. But she really wanted to know, and the need to know burned her so much that before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Do you like me?"

Blake's expression morphed into one of astonishment. Yang immediately regretted asking. What was she thinking anyways? Blake obviously didn't like her, she only saw her as a friend. Right? But the chemistry… it wasn't just her imagination. It had to be there. Still, Yang decided to play safe.

"It's alright, I don't even know why I asked. You can just forg-"

"I do." It was Yang's turn to be surprised.

"Um, so is that in a friendly way, or…"

"I have feelings for you Yang."

Well. That was quite unexpected.

"I've been trying to figure out if I just saw you as a good-looking girl who was also my friend, or if you were something more, but Yang… I feel so happy when you're around." Golden eyes shined, and the blonde felt her lips curve into a smile.

"Blake, I feel happy when you're around too. Like, just seeing you is enough to brighten my day."

"You were there for me when you knocked some sense into me about Velvet…"

"You took the time to try to understand me…"

"You made me appreciate my friends…"

"You accepted me and trusted me…"

Blake hugged Yang. The blonde reciprocated it, and Yang felt like she was finally home.

The matter wasn't as simple as confess, hug, and become girlfriends.

Yang and Blake also lived together.

Which meant that they already knew each other quite well and saw each other often.

Also, they lived with Blake's parents. Blake insisted that their relationship remain a secret for the time being, until she was comfortable to come out to her parents. She wasn't sure how her parents would take this new change in the household.

Yang understood and let their relationship grow naturally. She didn't make the fact that they slept in the same bed awkward. She would simply get underneath the covers with Blake and they would sleep together, with Blake always tending to be cold and Yang always tending to be warm while sleeping. They complimented each other in this way.

In all honesty, it was as if they were living their lives before their relationship. However, there were a few things that were different. Blake's hand would linger on Yang's shoulder for just a second longer when she would pass by the blond in the narrow hallways, or Yang would give Blake a knowing smile at the dinner table when the family ate together. Sometimes Yang would place her hand on Blake's thigh while they ate. Their situation wasn't quite ideal, but the two made it work.

April had come, and it had brought nice temperatures and blue skies along with revived trees and newborn flowers. The world no longer looked dead. Winter had passed for good, and the world continued to move on.

Yang excelled in most of her classes, with As and Bs in all of her classes except for Agricultural Science, which stood at a C. Blake, as usual, had mostly As for all of her classes. Kali couldn't have been more proud of both of her daughters.

"Yang, look how far you've grown!" The grown woman was delighted as she looked at both of their report cards, which were sent every six weeks. If Yang kept up her grades at this rate, she would now have an unweighted GPA of 2.5. Blake had an unweighted GPA of 3.75. The differences were clear, but the way Kali praised Yang made the blonde feel quite proud of herself. Her GPA was terrible when she reentered school, and she was glad to have been able to pull it up so much. Even Ms. Goodwitch applauded Yang on her hard work. Yang also talked to Ms. Goodwitch about… other things.

Hey, is it possible for me to graduate as a senior next year?

What exactly do you mean, Miss Xiao Long?

I mean… Could I complete junior year next fall semester, and senior year in the spring semester?

That is a very ambitious goal, Miss Xiao Long. Perhaps you should stick to our current plan for you.

With all due respect, Ms. Goodwitch, I think I can do it.

Are you sure, young lady? Skipping a grade and going straight into graduation is a tough thing to do, especially in later high school years. You would definitely have to take summer classes. It won't be all fun and games in case you were planning on having fun with your friends, but it would help greatly to reduce the load of classes you need to take.

Let's do that.

Well, I like your drive. I'll sign you up for summer classes and organize a schedule so you may skip a grade and graduate next year.

Although Yang liked her classmates, she wanted to be able to graduate a year earlier. She wanted to improve herself, and if that meant taking all those extra classes and working her butt off, she was willing to do it. Yang had gotten used to the academic rigor anyways. On top of academic rigor, Yang had begun to work out regularly now, and her defined abs and toned muscles were restored (much to Blake's delight, although she would never admit that).

"You know, you're a good person Yang." Blake said to her one day. Yang lowered her pencil and looked at her girlfriend.

"Um…"

"What I mean," Blake explained, "is that you've grown. You've matured, and I admire you for that." Yang had matured? She didn't feel like she did. Deep inside, she still felt like that little girl who had turned to a group of delinquents for shelter.

Her hand hovered over the piece of paper before she wrote out the first answer to the assignment. Maybe she had grown, and she just hadn't noticed.

"... Thanks, Blakey." Yang replied quietly yet affectionately. Maybe she had grown, but she didn't feel like an adult yet. But perhaps that was to be expected. She was still a child. Just because she was almost 18 didn't mean she automatically knew what to do in her life. Hell, most adults in their 20s didn't know what to do in their life.

Blake's birthday had passed, and that's how the two girls realized that Blake was older. While Blake's birthday was on March 13, Yang's birthday was on May 28, making Blake a good two months older than Yang. Blake was now 18 and an adult by law. For some reason that saddened Yang. It made Yang realize how close Blake was to graduation, and it forced Yang to think about the future.

"Colleges? Oh, we have a community college right here in town, so I'm directly enrolling in it after I graduate. Then after I get my Associate in Arts, I'll transfer my credits over to a university and go for my Bachelor's." Blake said to Yang when the blonde brought up the topic. The ravenette grinned once she realized why Yang had asked. Blake pecked Yang on her cheek and hugged the blonde comfortingly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here," Blake promised, and so the subject was dropped.

Not everyone was doing what Blake was doing, though. Velvet had decided to go into a STEM career, and she was working to become a marine biologist, much to her parents' surprise. Nora wanted to become a personal fitness trainer, and Ren wanted to enroll in a culinary school. Pyrrha had decided to major in history, as she had a love for it, and wanted to become a history professor. Jaune was indecisive on what exactly he wanted to do and decided to go to a community college in the meantime while he thought about what he liked.

Blake was becoming incredibly busy with her schoolwork as her AP exams drew near. There were many nights where Yang had been ready to go to bed and Blake was still at their desk, working on essays and other assignments, staying up well past midnight on some nights. Nevertheless, the moments that Blake and Yang did share became even more precious.

And soon enough May had ended. Kali had thrown together a small party for Yang to celebrate her eighteenth birthday in the same fashion as Blake. Yang appreciated the celebration greatly, and the cake that Ghira had made for Yang was simply scrumptious. But now, it was time for exams.

There was no more homework. There were only reviews, practice tests, and studying. Yang didn't mind too much. It beat having several homework assignments due within the same week. Blake, on the other hand, was extremely stressed, and once snapped on Ghira when he had asked her about her classes. After a trip to the restroom, Yang also found out that Blake was on her period, which made the ravenette even more feisty. However, Blake's period ended, and she was still as feisty as ever, so Yang couldn't even blame Blake's behavior on hormones.

"Yang, please, I need to study!" An irritated Blake yelled, clutching her head as she stared at the block of words before her. A full moon let light into the room, and the faint chirping of crickets could be heard. Yang took away the sheets of paper in front of Blake and shook her head as Blake pummeled her fists weakly against Yang's strong shoulders.

"Let… me… study!" Yang shook her head no and raised the sheets of paper above both of their heads, knowing fully well that Blake wouldn't be able to reach. Blake knew this as well, and Yang's eyes widened as the dark haired girl growled in the back of her throat as she lunged towards Yang. Yang screamed as Blake mercilessly tickled Yang, and those screams turned into tearful laughs as Blake tickled Yang's sides, armpits, and neck. The ravenette's hands accidentally brushed against Yang's lower stomach, and a flash of heat overcame Yang. Blake ceased her tickling when she saw Yang's flushed skin.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Blake apologized.

"It's… it's alright, I guess." There was an awkward tension in the air, and Yang didn't like it. So, as she had started doing recently, Yang embraced Blake and began to kiss her. After a few simple touches and kisses, Yang felt the need to do a little more.

Yang placed her hand on Blake's shoulder and cupped the ravenette's jaw, and the two girls tilted their faces to the right, their noses brushing each other. This kiss was longer, slower, and yet, more passionate. Yang pulled back as soon as Blake did and gazed into dazed golden pools, flecked with brown and green that Yang hadn't even known was there before. Blake rested her arms on Yang's shoulders, and the two began to kiss again. They had time; there was no one to interrupt them, and no one was going to be up at such an hour. How they had ever let themselves hold back, Yang couldn't quite remember. She was too busy using her lips to pull on Blake's full and rosy lower lip. The dark haired girl deepened the kiss, and Yang could feel Blake's breasts push onto her own. Blake was so warm, so fleshy, so slender and womanly. Blake slowly made her way to Yang's shoulders, feeling the brawler's strong shoulders, and she slowly pushed down on those shoulders to guide Yang onto their bed. Dark, soft locks of hair tickled Yang's neck. Lilac orbs looked up and examined the heavy-lidded girl above her. There was a faint dusting of pink on the apples of her cheeks, and Yang could see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, a little out of breath. Blake was beautiful.

"So, are we doing this?" Yang murmured sensually as Blake held her captive. Blake leaned down to kiss Yang's throat, and the blonde groaned at the sensation.

"Only if you want to," the ravenette whispered in Yang's ear. Yang shivered in excitement.

"I want to, but how about you?" Yang asked softly as she pulled Blake into her and faintly kissed the bookworm's jaw, trailing kisses down her neck. "I'm a little more experienced than you, you know."

"I figured," Blake answered. "But you know, I am an otaku, so I've seen a few things, and I've been around the Internet. I think I can trust you to take care of me." Yang bit Blake's shoulder lightly, and the golden eyed girl gasped in response. Blake was normally a person who tended to be cold, but Yang could now feel the girl above her become hot.

Yang became hot as well.

Yang gazed after Blake as the ravenette went to go use the bathroom after their… vigorous activities. Blake claimed that it was necessary for girls to use the bathroom after sex, but Yang honestly didn't see the point. Then again, she did recall Nora telling her about reducing the chance of contracting a UTI by peeing after sex, but she really didn't see how it would help. Blake returned, and Yang smirked at Blake's lack of undergarments, a small robe being the only thing that covered her.

"Go use the bathroom." Blake commanded Yang. After some protesting, Yang finally went to the bathroom to appease the ravenette. It wasn't so big of a deal to argue over, anyways.

Yang returned to find Blake completely dressed and in bed, on her phone and scrolling through Tumblr. Blake looked up at Yang with drooping eyes, and Yang took Blake's phone and set it to charge. After changing quickly, Yang turned off the lamplight on the desk and settled into bed with Blake.

"Good night, Yang," Blake muttered as she snuggled into Yang's ample chest. Yang pulled up the covers and kissed her girlfriend on the top of her head as she felt her eyelids become heavy.

"Good night, Blake."


	15. Side by side

Yang panted under the June sun as she pushed a push-mower to cut the grass in front of the house. Ghira was on one of those big commercial mowers that had the ability to turn in a complete circle on one spot, and Blake was using a weed eater to cut along the fence and around the trees. Kali had gone inside earlier to prepare lunch, and she had come to help out Yang with the spaces where Ghira's mower wouldn't be able to fit through.

The Belladonnas had a lot of land. Ten acres, in fact. Yang was thankful that five of those acres were woods and grazing areas for the goats and the pig.

Still, five acres was a lot of grass. Blake explained that each acre was slightly smaller than an American football field, so including the house, buildings, trees, and cars, the amount of grass that they were cutting was about the size of three football fields.

Then, there were those buildings and trees to cut around.

Yang was completely drenched in her sweat by the time Ghira announced that they were going to take a break. Kali retrieved four plates of food from inside with the help of Blake, and the four sat under a shelter which housed their grill and several benches - a place meant as a social junction in case the Belladonnas were to hold a party, which, Blake had once remarked, was hardly ever the case anymore. It was a nice place to eat under on a hot day, however.

The school year had ended. Blake was officially a high school graduate, and after a lengthy ceremony, she had turned the tassle on her cap. She received her diploma, and she had walked across that stage. Yang and Kali had worn dresses, and Ghira had worn a nice shirt and jeans to the ceremony. After Blake had rejoined them, all four of them had taken pictures with Kali's expensive camera that she hardly used.

Yang chewed on her taco and remembered how happy Blake was, and how happy Blake's friends were to have finished school. Nora and Ren had joined the Belladonnas photoshoot, and Jaune and Pyrrha soon joined. Yang remembered smiling a lot, and she remembered how close Blake would stand next to her as Kali would take pictures. She remembered hugging Blake and wanting to kiss her in one of the pictures - but Blake was still not out to her parents yet, so Yang made sure not to do that.

The blonde felt a little left out when she saw Blake graduate.

She should have been graduating with Blake.

As soon as Yang started thinking that, she began to think from Nora's mindset. If she hadn't done all that she had done in the past, there was absolutely no way that she would have met Blake. So Yang simply accepted her future struggles and was happy for Blake.

Yang's summer classes would start on the third week of June, so she had a little time to enjoy herself. Blake had already enrolled at the community college in town and was all set to begin taking college classes in August.

After a long afternoon of cutting grass, the Belladonnas and Yang retired inside to shower and enjoy the rest of their Saturday evening.

Life was strange, Yang mused as Blake left to go shower first. She certainly didn't expect her life to take such weird turns like this.

A delinquent getting caught and sent to live with a host family in an entirely different state.

The delinquent befriending a country girl and falling in love with her and her family.

The delinquent becoming a young adult who was determined to get her education and be worthy of her amazing girlfriend.

All within the span of eight months. Although it didn't quite feel like eight months. It felt as if Yang had lived here her whole life, as crazy as that sounded. As if she belonged here. Yang shook her head to herself. She did belong here. Kali was like her mother, Ghira was like her father, and Blake was like her sister, best friend, and girlfriend, all in one.

Ironwood had called to check up on Yang, and Kali had let Yang speak to him. Ironwood was pleased to see an immediate and noticeable change in Yang.

"You've really turned out to be a fine young woman," he praised her. "I'm proud of you." Eight months ago Yang would have just ignored his words, but she took his praise to heart.

"Thank you," she replied, a nostalgic smile on her face.

"Anything I can do for you, Yang?"

Yang thought about Cinder, Winter, and Weiss, and she thought about Raven, Qrow, and Ruby. Was it too much of a stretch to hope for? She had been planning this for some time. Yang remembered Blake's words.

 _True, but I like to think that you have to look at the unlikeliest of places in order to find someone. From then on, it's a small world._

Trusting Blake's advice, Yang pounced upon her hunch and gave Ironwood her request. The man listened, silently taking in Yang's tall order.

"Alright, Miss Xiao Long. I'll give Detective Schnee the details of the case. I'll keep you updated on the investigation." Ironwood paused. "Do you happen to know Detective Schnee?"

Yang smiled. It really was a small world, after all.

* * *

Days seemed to melt into each other. Every day was hot, humid, and spent with Blake. The two girlfriends allowed their relationship to blossom as they explored more of each other. Yang told Blake more about herself, and Blake did the same.

Blake watched Yang surf the Internet on her laptop one particular afternoon and amused herself by watching Yang look up articles of various topics.

"What are you doing, Yang?" Blake asked after Yang had clicked through at least twenty different articles.

"Searching," was the blonde's response. Blake gave Yang a look that said 'really? I can see that.'

"Searching for what?"

"Careers. For my future. I want to do something helpful, and I don't know what." Blake walked over to Yang from the bed and hugged the blonde, and Yang smiled at the gesture. The lilac girl looked up at Blake, and the dark haired girl bent down and kissed the blonde amorously. As Yang began to deepen the kiss, the two girls heard the door being swung open and a small yelp of surprise. Yang slowly pulled away and felt her heart drop into her stomach.

Kali, carrying a load of freshly dried laundry, was in shock as she took in what just happened in front of her. Blake's cheeks were on fire as she lowered her head to the floor. Kali made eye contact with Yang: explain yourselves. Well, there was no denying what was clearly going on, unless Blake really loved to hug Yang's mouth with her own mouth.

"You two. We. Need. To. Talk." Blake practically whined with fear, and Yang stood up in front of Blake protectively.

"Hey, there's no need to be mad-"

"I'm not mad, Yang, I just…" Kali held her forehead with her left hand as she balanced the load of laundry on her right hip with her other hand. The dark haired woman shook her head slowly to herself.

"Mom…" Blake said, her voice trailing off, fear evident in her voice. Kali looked up at her daughter and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm really not mad. I'm okay, actually. I am completely fine. Just… let me leave you two for a few minutes while I figure this out…" Kali exited the room, and Yang gave Blake a knowing look. Blake bit her lip and glanced away from Yang. Yang continued to look at Blake, and Blake sighed deeply, nodding her head in agreement.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell my parents." The ravenette grumbled. Yang nodded her head once, pleased with herself.

When Blake and Yang sat down with Ghira and Kali to explain what was going on, Blake noticed her father's eyes darken slightly. Worried, she clutched Yang's hand as she waited for her father to say something. Anything.

Ghira was quiet for a few moments before shaking his head.

"So you like girls?" he asked, directing his question to Blake more than Yang. Blake and Yang both nodded. Ghira gave Yang a curious look before looking at his daughter, then back to Yang. Yang immediately understood his train of thought, and so did Kali.

"Honey, Blake's been gay even before they were dating. Now that I think about it, Blake was always a little too eager whenever Velvet would come over." Blake blushed.

"Velvet's not gay," the golden eyed girl offered. Still, Ghira continued to look at Yang and Blake suspiciously.

"So have you two… well?"

"Kissed?" Yang offered. Ghira raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that much is obvious. I'm talking about something else."

It took the two girlfriends a few seconds to realize what he was asking. Kali slapped Ghira's arm.

"Honey! You can't ask those sorts of things!"

"Yes, we have." Both Kali and Blake had responded to Ghira at the same time. Kali and Blake looked at each other, and Yang felt Ghira's gaze beat down upon her. Nervously, Yang tried to smile, and failed miserably when it became more of a sheepish plea for forgiveness.

It was then decided that Yang would sleep separately from Blake from now on.

"Hey this isn't so bad," Yang said as she laid upon a cot that Ghira had found in one of their storage sheds outside. Yang pulled up her covers and rested her head on a fluffy pillow. "It's just like camping!"

"I'm still mad that Dad is making you sleep on the floor, though," Blake pouted as she curled underneath her blankets. "The bed is colder now."

"Hey, it beats not being able to sleep in the same room," Yang pointed out. Blake nodded.

"Yeah, that's true. I still miss you though." Yang shrugged her shoulders, making her blankets rise with her shrug.

"At least we can go on dates and stuff like that now. I'm actually happy that you're dad isn't a homophobe."

"Me too."

* * *

Near the end of the summer school term, Yang received a phone call.

A few minutes after the call, she texted Winter:

"Thank you."

* * *

Life really is strange, isn't it? When it seemed like all hope was lost, there would be a ray of light that cut through all the fog so that you could see what you were missing all this time. Maybe instead diving straight into the problem, you should have stepped back and started from the beginning. There isn't always an advantage to punching your way through life.

Yang was incredibly nervous.

She had been shaking her legs up and down as she waited at the airport with Blake and Kali. Ghira hadn't been able to take time off of work, unfortunately, but Kali had been able to since she didn't have to work on Columbus Day.

Yang felt Blake hold her hand, and the blonde smiled weakly as Blake gave her encouragement.

One full year. She had been here for one whole year, and she had been able to change herself for the better. She was thankful for the beautiful girl right next to her. So, so grateful.

It was almost funny, Yang thought as Ironwood appeared with two figures behind him. Just a year ago, Ironwood was leading Yang over to Kali at the airport. But now, everything was different.

Yang stood up as she looked into those hard, red eyes. She looked at the other pair of silver eyes, and back at the red ones. Nobody smiled. Yang had many questions to ask, but those were to be answered for later. Instead, she greeted her mother and half sister.

"Hi Raven… hi Ruby."

* * *

"So you wanted to know more about me," Raven said as she sat on one side of the booth of the restaurant along with Ruby. Ruby fidgeted in her seat while Raven was the perfect example of composure. Blake and Yang were on the other side of the booth, and Kali and Ironwood had moved to another table in order to give the four space.

Yang folded her hands and kept sneaking glances at Ruby. Everytime their eyes would meet, Ruby would duck her head shyly, and Yang couldn't help but smile despite the awkward situation.

Ruby didn't remember Yang, so Yang couldn't really hold that against her.

"Why did you leave me?" Yang asked - straight to the point, as usual. Raven sighed before taking a long sip of her beer, setting down the glass with an audible thunk.

"It's a really complicated story. Can we talk about something else?" Yang felt herself flare up in anger, then cool down when Blake placed her hand on her thigh.

"You guys have time. Just catch up for now," Blake murmured. It was incredibly difficult for Yang to ignore her mother's unwillingness to talk about why she abandoned her daughter and boyfriend, but grudgingly, Yang let it slide for now as she told Raven about her life. She told her about Summer and Tai, the accident, the funeral, being separated from Ruby. She told her about leaving the group homes and being caught by the police before finding Adam and her other delinquent friends. She told her about the foster families Ironwood tried to organize her to live with, and how she almost went to jail. She told her about living with the Belladonnas, Thanksgiving, growing closer with Blake, her disappointment in Florida during Christmas break. She told her about going back to school, her new friends, her new relationship with Blake.

She told her about her scheme to locate Raven and Ruby by having Winter investigate their whereabouts.

And when Yang had finally ran out of things to say, Raven closed her eyes, sighed, then opened them.

"I feel like you need answers now, right?" the black haired woman asked.

Indeed.

* * *

Raven had always been a happy girl growing up. Despite her tendency to be moody and separate herself from her peers, her classmates respected her, and she was fairly popular. She was a free spirit that couldn't be tied down, and she stood up for what she believed in - resulting in numerous fights and detentions. Because of her mysterious, confident air, many boys would confess to her, and she would reject them all with no guilt.

When she was eighteen, she fell in love.

The result of this love between her and Taiyang was a tiny baby with golden curls. It was an unexpected surprise, but nevertheless, Raven tried her very best to take care of her new daughter. But since she had to take care of Yang and she had no close friends or family to help her with the baby, she began to struggle. She was never good with staying at home. She yearned to work and make a living for herself, and soon found herself resentful of how happy Tai seemed to be when he returned home.

She soon found out why Tai was so eager to go to work.

Raven stared at the flip phone as her hands began to shake with anger. She didn't want to believe it. She wanted to think that it was all a lie, that those words were just figments of her imagination. But no; she closed the phone and flipped it open, and the messages were still there. A woman named Summer would often call or text Tai, and though Raven didn't think she was the jealous type, there was a part of her that told her something was wrong. She ignored this feeling for several weeks. After all, Yang was just starting to walk and Tai had just gotten a promotion at work. Her life was stable right now, and she couldn't have beared to stand the thought of her young life being ruined over a simple gut instinct.

But when Tai started leaving the house earlier and returning home later, and when Yang started to cry for her father more and more, Raven decided to put an end to her suspicions. She took Tai's phone when he was showering to investigate.

But now, now Raven had had enough. She was done. She felt hurt, betrayed, and a million other negative emotions at this time. She tried not to become so overwhelmed with her emotions, but she had never been good with them before. The rage that consumed her when Tai came out of the shower, smiled at her and told her that he loved her, was just all too much.

Raven was never good with her emotions, but she was always good with her fists. She would often wrestle and fight with her twin brother and father when she was younger, and the years had toughened her up. Not to be outdone, Tai had been the quarterback of his high school football team, and still regularly exercised.

Two opposite forces came together and crashed.

The arguments were hardly arguments. They were better described as screaming sessions, when Raven would initiate the screaming and Tai would turn the session in circles. Many times Raven would raise her hand at Tai, and though the blond had also raised his hand at the black haired girl, he had never struck her face.

Until that one day when everything was taken from Raven.

It was one of those days that should have been beautiful. The sky was a pretty blue with airy white clouds floating through, and the sun was soft and bright. There was a gentle breeze, and the smell of laundry made their apartment seem cheerful and homey.

Raven and Tai continued to rain down their stubbornness upon each other, neither one quite willing to give in. It was a destructive relationship, but both parties hated each other to the point that they cared about each other. It was now like a game they played. Tai would disappear to go off with Summer, and Raven would continue to raise Yang.

But once Tai, in a flurry of impulsiveness and rage, had left a red mark across Raven's cheek, she knew that it had to be over. Raven looked over to Yang, her beautiful, little daughter who had cried the first time Raven had tried to give her a haircut, and saw that Yang was crying. Red eyes stared into blue ones, and both adults seemed to realize that they were affecting their daughter the most. So Raven put Yang to sleep, and Raven and Tai sat down to settle the score one and for all.

The topic of custody came up as they discussed their separation. As the mother and the one who raised Yang, she felt as if she should have custody. Yang was her daughter. She had birthed her and had been there for all her firsts so far, while Tai, on the other hand, hadn't even been able to attend Yang's first birthday party. Tai had a different opinion. He accused Raven of being the one who destroyed their relationship, citing her moodiness to be the main cause of it. She would get too upset too often, and she wasn't always welcoming when Tai would come home. That, Tai argued, was the reason he was drawn to Summer. Summer was warm, kind, and wore her heart on her sleeve. Tai believed that he could provide a better life for Yang than what Raven could offer. And in that perspective, Raven knew that he was right. She had no work experience, no college education, and hardly any friends who would be able to help her get a job.

It was decided that the decision would rest upon Yang - a now toddling two year old who was able to speak short sentences and eat by herself.

When Yang gave her answer, Raven could feel her heart break in two.

Boxes were packed, and arrangements were made for Raven to travel back to Mistral to live with her brother. Broken-hearted and verging on the edge of depression, she returned home.

Tai continued to live with Yang, and soon Summer and Ruby entered the picture. Tai would send Raven photos of Yang every few months, and Raven would dully look at the pictures until one day she couldn't look at them anymore. Yang looked so happy without her. Summer cared for Yang as if she was her own daughter. Raven couldn't bear the heartbreak any longer. So when Qrow managed to land Raven a job as a receptionist for a dentistry, she managed to pull herself together and live her life again. Qrow eventually was fired from his job for coming to work drunk, and Raven was the one who supported to two of them. Whenever someone tried to make a move on Raven, she would give them a cold glare and ignore them. She didn't want to love anymore. It was too painful for her. All she needed was Qrow, who had picked up Raven when she had hit rock bottom.

But even he ended up leaving her when he went off to chase some innkeeper he had met at a local bar.

Raven continued to work, eventually leaving the dentistry and starting up a bakery with an old friend of hers. The first two years were stressful, but soon their bakery began to become popular, and the two were finally able to make ends meet and start making a profit.

Raven heard the news one day, six years after she had separated from Tai. She had been enjoying a cup of coffee (black, like she liked it) when she heard about it. Two people, a male and a female in their late 20s, had perished immediately after they were T-boned by an eighteen wheeler. It was rather gruesome to picture. There had been no way that they would survive such a crash with their small car. Raven had merely looked at the story for a few seconds before ringing up a customer who had ordered a baker's dozen of cream puffs.

A few days later, the paper came in and revealed who had died.

Sharp red eyes scanned the printed words, not quite believing what she was seeing. It was different, but it felt somewhat the same. As her partner rang up the next customer, she felt herself begin to cry once more. She didn't think she would ever cry again, but there she was, spilling her tears onto the newspaper as she cried over her ex and his girlfriend. There were no details that said anything about children, however.

That meant they were still alive.

Had Summer had any family? Raven knew that Tai had been on bad terms with his parents, but who would take care of the children?

After a hefty debate with herself, she set off to search for Yang and Ruby.

It took a while to locate them, but she eventually found them.

Yang and Ruby were already in the process of adoption, however. Raven was too late.

She fought for them. At least, she wanted to be able to keep Yang; Ruby wasn't her child. But then again, she knew that they were sisters, and that they shouldn't be separated. But when it was known to her that Ruby, for some reason, was being split up from Yang, she began to screech with frustration. Some family, all the way from Florida, was going to take Ruby while Yang would go to live with Summer's mother.

Eventually, the family that was going to adopt Ruby had decided not to. Yang was adopted by Summer's mother, and that was that. But Raven wasn't finished yet.

A small six year old with long dark brown hair and big grey eyes looked up at Raven. She looked nothing like Yang at all. She didn't even act like her. But still, Raven could tell the similarities. Ruby stared up confidently at Raven in a manner so similar to Yang, and she seemed to be understanding of her situation.

In a long adoption process, Ruby Rose was now Raven's daughter. Now, this didn't mean that Raven wasn't looking for Yang. She did, in fact, find out where Summer's mother lived. But there was only one problem.

Summer's mother had died of cardiac arrest.

This meant that Yang was back in the adoption system.

After a year of living with Ruby, Raven had become quite attached to the girl. She had even been able to make Ruby smile a few times when she brought Ruby to the bakery. Ruby seemed to have quite the sweet tooth, cookies being her favorite treat. Raven was the co-owner of a successful bakery. She could handle two girls by herself. That thought in her mind, she went to go adopt Yang.

Yang had ran away.

When they told Raven that they could not locate her daughter, she had numbly nodded. There was nothing else they could do, they said, until someone found Yang. As Raven left the office, she saw a board with childrens' faces on it. 'Have You Seen Me?' was the heading of the board. Raven took a closer look.

Most of these children had been gone for more than five years.

Raven talked to the police to help her find Yang. She hired a private investigator. She searched for her daughter online. She tried roaming the streets of Mistral herself, but it was hopeless. Mistral was just too big to find one person, and no one was willing to help her.

Raven had to move on. She had Ruby to take care of, and Qrow as well, having come back from rehab and settled with a new job. Raven promised herself that she would keep Yang in her thoughts, but… she had to keep moving forward. If not for her sake, then for Ruby's sake. Ruby was already going into middle school and just entering puberty. Ruby needed her. With Qrow acting as Ruby's uncle and Raven mothering Ruby, they had become their own special family.

As much as Raven hoped to reunite with her daughter, life had not dealt her a fair hand. She hated herself for practically giving up, but what was she to do?

Raven had never expected to be called by a detective. She had never expected to hear that her daughter was all the way in North Carolina, at least four states away. She hadn't expected to be able to meet her after all these years. Composing herself and taking time off work, she let Ruby's high school know that they would be gone for two weeks. Ruby received her homework, Raven's coworker bid her farewell until she returned, and after telling Qrow of the news, the two females left Mistral to reunite with Yang.

* * *

Yang was speechless.

What was she to say to such a story? Part of her wanted to deny it; after all, she didn't want to think that Tai had cheated on Raven with Summer. But the sad look in Raven's eyes which Yang had mistaken for coldness told her otherwise.

Had Yang lived with Summer's mom? She couldn't remember. All of her younger years seemed to be one, blurry blob. She did remember running away, but it was because she had went to look for Ruby. She was so stupid for thinking she could do it on her own, when she thought back on it.

Then there was that feeling of regret. Yang probably didn't mean too much when she had decided to live with Tai. She was _two years old_. But after all that her mother had suffered through, Yang couldn't help but feel really, really bad. All this time she had resented her mother, thinking that she had been abandoned, when in reality she had bad luck with the way things had turned out. Yang looked at Blake, who squeezed her hand lightly. Then she looked at Ruby, who waved a little. Ruby didn't look much like Yang, but the connection was there; she could feel it in her bones.

After all this time, had Yang found the answers she wanted?

Closing her lilac eyes, then opening them, she allowed herself to expand her world.

"Thank you." Such simple words carried Yang's heart over to Raven's.

 _Thank you for surviving._

 _Thank you for trying._

 _Thank you for taking care of Ruby for me._

 _Thank you for being hopeful._

 _Thank you for being reasonable._

 _Thank you._

Raven smiled, for the first time since she had been here in North Carolina.

"We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

 **Epilogue**

"Yang, let's go out to eat!" Ruby practically whined as she clung onto her older sister's right arm. Yang, amused, ruffled Ruby's short hair with her available arm, then looked over to Blake. Blake smiled and raised her shoulders, then let them drop.

"I don't see why not," Blake said. "It's been some time since the three of us have been out."

It had been three years since Yang had left the Belladonnas. Blake, a senior at a university in Raleigh, was majoring in journalism after deciding to not pursue a science-related career like she had initially planned. She always had a love for writing, and if she could help people, it would be even better. Yang, a junior at a nearby university, had decided to go through a community college like Blake had done and had been able to pull up her GPA even more. She transferred into a university and was planning on becoming a school counselor, just like Ms. Goodwitch. Ruby, an excellent student, had graduated high school a year after Yang and was in her sophomore year in a university, pursuing her dream job of an architect. Ruby had come down to North Carolina to visit her older sister during summer break and was crashing at Yang's place. Yang's roommate didn't seem to mind too much, as she was always over with her boyfriend, so the two sisters would often watch movies together and eat together. However, it seemed that Ruby was tired of the simple meals Yang could prepare. Blake, although she wouldn't say it, was also getting bored of Yang's bland meals.

Raven regularly contacted Yang, and the longest they had ever gone without speaking was a week; this was either due to Yang's busy college life or a particularly busy time at Raven's bakery. Although Raven could be cynical and blunt, Yang found her birth mother to be quite charming in a way, and she admired how confident she was. Blake amusedly pointed out that Yang shared those characteristics with her mother, while Ruby seemed to be in her own happy world. Even after being separated for so long, Yang really was her mother's daughter.

Yang and Blake would visit Kali and Ghira every few weekends. Kali was always delighted to have her two daughters over, and whenever Ruby and Raven would visit, the petite woman would be completely ecstatic.

Ren and Nora were still together and Nora planned to pop the question once Ren got out of culinary school. The two shared an apartment and still had that corgi that Ren had gotten a few years ago. Meanwhile, Velvet had broken up with her boyfriend and had been having a series of flings for the past six months. Velvet and Blake kept in touch, but they were no longer the close friends they once were.

Jaune and Pyrrha were still together as well. The pair was often seen at Starbucks, since Pyrrha would tutor Jaune, and they were very happy with one another. As for Weiss and Neptune, the two had broken up a year ago in a mutual decision. They were better off as friends than lovers anyways. Recently, however, Weiss had taken a liking to Sun, and with the help of Neptune and Coco, the two were set up on a date and were still going out with each other.

Cinder and Winter had gotten married and a small ceremony was held. Blake and Yang hadn't been able to attend, but the pictures that Weiss sent of her older sister and sister-in-law were enough to make Blake smile.

Yang hardly saw Neo or her other friends from high school anymore. It was a bit of a shame, but that was how it was. Some friends went away, while others stayed for life. And as Ruby suggested an Italian pizzeria that she had seen downtown and as Blake grabbed her car keys, Yang thought about her life. True, it had been crappy, but if the outcome was a close bond with her girlfriend, great friends, two caring families, and one long lost sister, she could honestly say that she would do it all over again.

Blake turned her head, a quizzical expression on her face as she looked at Yang.

"Aren't you coming?" Blake asked teasingly. Yang shook her head softly to herself, breaking out of her thoughts and getting close to Blake to quickly cop a feel of Blake's ass. Blake rolled her eyes and slapped Yang's arm, and Ruby pretended to be grossed out, but all three simply laughed as they went out to eat pizza. With Blake on her left and Ruby on her right, Yang was content to walk side by side between her two most special people in the world.

* * *

 **A/N:** Special thanks to the following people for their support! In no particular order:

naruhinafan11

Mengsk

Night Flare

Fennec9

Moontrance6

Cygni Swan

CalitaRael

But thanks to EVERYONE and your reviews/PMs! Whenever I would feel unmotivated I would look over your words and become inspired. I'm looking forward to what Volume 5 brings us!


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